The syntheses and room-temperature single-crystal X-ray structural
characterization of binuclear 1 : 2 adducts formed between silver(I)
(pseudo-)halides, AgX, and triphenylarsine, AsPh3, for X
= Cl, Br, I, SCN (1)–(4), are described. The chloride (1),
obtained from 2-methylpyridine, is triclinic,
P-1, a
10·410(2), b 12·716(2),
c 14·196(6) Å, α 113·38(2),
β 109·41(2), γ 75·08(1)°, Z
= 1 (dimer); conventional R on
F was 0·037 for No 3979
independent ‘observed’ (I > 3σ(I)) reflections. The
bromide (2a), obtained from 2,6-dimethylpyridine, and iodide (3), obtained
from a mixture of AgI/saturated KI in MeOH solutions, are isomorphous,
monoclinic, P
21/c
a≈ 24·2, b ≈
13·9, c ≈ 20·2 Å, β ≈
109·5°, Z = 4 dimers;
R was 0·046 and 0·044 for
No 5670 and 6039 respectively. The thiocyanate (4) has a
similar cell, a 24·12(1), b
12·558(8), c 23·244(4) Å, β
110·11(3)°, Z = 4 dimers,
R being 0·044 for No 7956;
one of the thiocyanate ligands (which bridge in Ag-SCN-Ag mode) is disordered.
A second polymorph of the bromide (2b) (from a mixture of AgBr/saturated
KBr in H2O) is also monoclinic, P
21/c, a
14·121(8), b 25·577(3),
c 21·968(2) Å, β 125·54(3)°,
Z = 4 dimers (R was
0·047 for No 5715). Ag–As range between
2·568(1) and 2·633(1) Å throughout the series; in the
isomorphous bromide and iodide, values increase slightly:
2·578(1)–2·611(1), cf. 2·601(2)-2·633(1)
Å respectively. Ag–X are 2·568(2)-2·670(2) (Cl);
2·688(2)–2·715(2) (Br);
2·828(2)–2·856(1) Å (I); Ag-S, N for the ordered SCN
group are 2·646(3), 2·255(6) Å. A redetermination of
improved precision (R 0·035,
No 6030) is reported for the
triphenylphosphine/thiocyanate analogue. The far-infrared spectra of
[(Ph3As)2Ag(µ-X)2Ag
(AsPh3)2] show
v(AgX) bands at 185, 145 (X = Cl), 145, 130, 106
(X = Br) and 121 cm-1 (X = I). The
splittings and band widths reflect a decrease in the degree of distortion of
the Ag(µ-X)2Ag units from a symmetrically bridged
structure from X = Cl to I.