Organotin compounds bearing mesogenic sidechains: synthesis, X-ray structures and polymerisation chemistry

Organotin compounds R₃Sn(CH₂)_n+2OC₆H₄C₆H₄Y (R₃=Ph₃, Ph₂Bu; Y=H, CN; n=1-3) and RX₂Sn(CH₂)_n+2OC₆H₄C₆H₄Y (R=Ph, Bu; Y=H, CN; X=Br, I; n=1-3) have been synthesised and characterised by ¹H-, ¹³C-, ¹¹⁹Sn-NMR and Mössbauer spectroscopies. X-ray crystallography reveals tetrahedral geometries for Ph₃Sn(CH₂)₄OC₆H₄C₆H₅ and Ph₃Sn(CH₂)₃OC₆H₄C₆H₄CN, a six-coordinated, bromine-bridged dimeric structure for PhBr₂Sn(CH₂)₃OC₆H₄C₆H₅ containing a mer-Br₃C₂OSn coordination sphere about tin and a five-coordinated monomeric structure for PhBr₂Sn(CH₂)₃OC₆H₄C₆H₄CN. In all cases there is strong alignment of mesogenic groups in the solid-state but only PhBr₂Sn(CH₂)₃OC₆H₄C₆H₄CN shows any indication of liquid-crystal behaviour. Wurtz polymerisation of RBr₂Sn(CH₂)₅OC₆H₄C₆H₅ (R=Ph, Bu), both of which contain non-chelating ether functions, generated polystannanes (RR′Sn)_n with M_n 2.3×10⁵; M_w 3.0×10⁵; M_w/M_n 1.30 and M_n 1.3×10⁵; M_w 2.5×10⁵; M_w/M_n 1.96, respectively, while no polymer was obtained from chelated PhBr₂Sn(CH₂)₃OC₆H₄C₆H₅