The reaction of the ambidentate ligand dibenzylsulfoxide (dbso) with Me2SnCl2 in 1:1 molar ratio leads to the formation of the five-coordinate adduct [Me2SnCl2(dbso)], whereas the same reaction conditions with Ph2SnCl2 provide the six-coordinate adduct trans-[Ph2SnCl2(dbso)2]. On the other hand, the reaction with nBu2SnCl2 forms the dimeric adduct [{nBu2SnCl2(dbso)}2], which probably possesses octahedral tin(IV) nuclei and bridging chlorides. The adducts [MeSnCl3(dbso)2] and [Ph3SnCl(dbso)] were also prepared and included in the study. All complexes were studied by microanalysis and IR, NMR (¹H, 13C and 119Sn) and Mössbauer spectroscopies to investigate their structural properties. The six-coordinate species fac-[MeSnCl3(dbso)2] and trans-[Ph2SnCl2(dbso)2] were also studied by single crystal X-ray diffractometry. These compounds crystallize in the orthorhombic, Pbcn, and monoclinic space group P2(1)/c, respectively, as discrete neutral molecules with the tin(IV) atom in a distorted octahedral geometry and the two dbso ligands in cis and trans positions, respectively.
sulfoxide complexes; organotin(IV) complexes; crystal structure analyses
