Octahedral coordination of halide ions (I-, Br-, Cl-) sandwich bonded with tridentate mercuracarborand-3 receptors

The "anti-crown" B-hexamethyl 9-mercuracarborand-3 (1) was shown to complex halide ions (I-, Br-, Cl-) in an eta(3)-sandwich fashion. Symmetry-allowed interactions of the filled halide ion p-orbitals and the corresponding empty mercury p-orbitals result in three equivalent p(Hg)-p(halide)-p(Hg) three-center two-electron bonds and a sandwich structure. The molecular structures of Li.(H(2)O)(4)]1(2).I].2CH(3)CN, MePPh(3)1(2).Br].((CH(3))(2)CO)(2).(H(2)O)(2), and PPN1(2).Cl] were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Compound Li.(H(2)O)(4)]1(2).I].2CH(3)CN crystallized in the triclinic space group P-1, a = 13.312(8) A, b = 13.983(9) A, c = 13.996(9) A, alpha = 61.16(2) degrees, beta = 82.34(2) degrees, gamma = 86.58(2) degrees, V = 4365(2) A(3), Z = 1, R = 0.063, and R(w) = 0.171. Compound MePPh(3)1(2).Br].((CH(3))(2)CO)(2).(H(2)O)(2) crystallized in the monoclinic space group C2/c, a = 24.671(8) A, b = 17.576(6) A, c = 26.079(8) A, beta = 106.424(6) degrees, V = 10847(6) A(3), Z = 8, R = 0.0607, and R(w) = 0.1506. Compound PPN1(2).Cl] crystallized in the monoclinic space group C2/m, a = 37.27(2) A, b = 29.25(1) A, c = 10.990(4) A, beta = 100.659(7) degrees, V = 11774(8) A(3), Z = 4, R = 0.0911, and R(w) = 0.2369.