Preparation of metal–sulphur–nitrogen complexes via photochemical activation of S4N4

Abstract

Reaction of cis-[PtCl₂(PMe₂Ph)₂] with S₄N₄, which normally only occurs at temperatures in excess of 100 °C, can be acheived at 0 °C by the use of UV photolysis. Phosphorus-31 NMR studies upon reactions using S₄N₄-S₄¹⁵N₄show the products to contain totally scrambled ¹⁴N/¹⁵N suggesting that the reaction proceeds via a reactive sulphur-nitrogen species photochemically generated from S₄N₄. Photolysis of S₄N₄alone gives a mixture of S₈,S₄N₂ and S₇NH.