Structural study on the organoantimony(III) NCN - Chelated compounds [2,6-(Me2NCH2)2C6H3]SbX2 - Influence of the polar group X

The reactions of organoantimony chloride LSbCl₂ (1) (L = 2,6-(Me₂NCH₂)₂C₆H₃]⁻) with the silver salts of selected carboxylic acids (1:2 molar ratio) resulted to the corresponding organoantimony carboxylates LSbX₂, where X = CH₃COO for (2); CF₃COO for (3). Similar reactions of 1 with the silver salt of the low nucleophilic anion (1:0.5 and 1:1 molar ratio) gave the ionic compounds LSb(Cl)--Cl-Sb(Cl)L]⁺CB₁₁H₁₂]⁻ (4), and LSbCl]⁺CB₁₁H₁₂]⁻ (5). All compounds were characterized by the help of the elemental analysis, ESI-MS, ¹H, ¹¹B, ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and IR spectroscopy. The solid state structure investigation using single crystal X-ray diffraction technique (3-5) revealed the presence of the strong Sb-N intramolecular dative connections in all cases and also significant differences in the shapes of the coordination polyhedra around the central antimony atoms was observed, i.e. a tetragonal pyramidal environment in 3 (CF₃COO groups are placed mutually in trans positions), an unusual chlorine bridged dinuclear cation consisting of one apex (Cl atom) sharing square pyramids in 4, and finally a vacant ψ-trigonal bipyramid around the central antimony atom in 5. Even more, crystallization of 5 from THF provided the single crystals of a THF aduct of 5 LSbCl(THF)]⁺CB₁₁H₁₂]⁻5a, where the central antimony atom is located in a tetragonal pyramidal environment. The solid state structures of 3-5 are retained in solution. Solution structure of the compound 2 was determined by the help of VT-¹H NMR spectroscopy and IR spectroscopy showing, that both carboxylates (CH₃COO) are unidentate and are placed mutually in cis positions in the coordination polyhedron around the central antimony atom. The whole coordination polyhedron in 2 might be best described as a biccaped - trigonal pyramid, due to the additional Sb-N intramolecular interactions.