Synthesis and characterization of diorganotin(IV) complexes of tridentate Schiff bases: crystal structure of [N-(3-hydroxypyridine-2-yl)-5-chlorosalicylideneiminato]dimethyltin(IV)

Some five-coordinated dimethyltin(IV) complexes of the type Me₂SnL (where L is the anion of a bifunctional tridentate Schiff base) were synthesized. These Schiff bases are N-(3-hydroxypyridine-2-yl)-3-methoxysalicylideneimine, HOC₆H₃OCH₃CH=NC₅H₃NOH (1), N-(3-hydroxypyridine-2-yl)-3-ethoxysalicylideneimine, HOC₆H₃OC₂H₅CH=NC₅H₃NOH (2), N-(3-hydroxypyridine-2-yl)-5-chlorosalicylideneimine, HOC₆H₃ClCH=NC₅H₃NOH (3), and N-(3-hydroxypyridine-2-yl)-3-methoxy-5-bromosalicylideneimine, HOC₆H₂OCH₃BrCH=NC₅H₃NOH (4). Dimethyltin(IV) complex of 3 (3a) was characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction method and a coordination geometry that is nearly halfway between trigonal–bipyramidal and square pyramidal arrangement was found. Dimethyltin complexes of (1), (2), and (4) were also prepared and characterized by the comparison of their elemental analysis and ¹H-NMR-, IR-, UV- and mass spectral data with those of (3a). For example, in the ¹H-NMR spectra, the ²J(¹¹⁹Sn-¹H) in the Sn-CH₃ moiety have values between 80 Hz and 90 Hz, typical of five-coordinated tin species. By using these values in Lockart’s Equations, H₃C–Sn–CH₃ angles in the complexes were estimated to lie between 130° and 145°. X-ray diffraction value for 3a, confirms this estimate within 3.4% relative deviation (129.7° exp. Vs. 134.9° estimate).