Crystal structure of a novel tetranuclear dithiocarboxylato copper(I) complex, [{Cu(S2CC6H4Me-p)}4(PPh3)2]

Abstract

The complex [{Cu(S₂CC₆H₄Me-p)}₄(PPh₃)₂](1) was obtained by reaction of [{Cu(S₃CC₆H₄Me-p)}₄] with PPh₃ in toluene in a ratio Cu : P = 1 : 1.5. Its structure, determined by X-ray diffraction methods, shows a distorted trigonal-pyramidal arrangement of four copper atoms, with four surrounding dithiocarboxylate groups acting as triply bridging ligands. Three of the ligands bridge the apical and two basal metal atoms, the fourth bridges the three basal copper atoms. Crystals of (1) are triclinic, space group P, with Z= 2 in a unit cell of dimensions a= 12.995(3), b= 15.783(4), c= 16.002(5)Å, α= 83.66(2), β= 102.97(3), and γ= 93.38(2)°. The structure has been solved by direct and Fourier methods and refined by block-matrix least squares to R= 0.073 for 3 978 observed reflections.