Synthesis and structures of bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)amido]-tin(IV) cyclic chalcogenides [{Sn[N(SiMe3)2]2(µ-E)}2] and a heterobimetallic analogue [{(Me3Si)2N}2Ge(µ-Te)2Sn-{N(SiMe3)2}2](E = S, Se or Te)

Abstract

Each of the four-membered ring compounds [{Sn[N(SiMe₃)₂]₂(µ-E)}₂](E = S 1, Se 2 or Te 3) has been prepared by the oxidative addition of the chalcogen E to Sn[N(SiMe₃)₂]₂ promoted by sonication in a faster reaction and in a higher yield than previously achieved. The first heterobimetallic analogues [{(Me₃Si)₂N}₂Ge(µ-E)₂Sn{N(SiMe₃)₂}₂](E = Te 4 or Se 5) were obtained similarly from a mixture of the two metal(II) amides and the chalcogen. Compounds 1–4 have been characterised by single crystal X-ray diffraction and 1–5 studied by NMR spectroscopy [¹H, ¹³C, ²⁹Si, ⁷⁷Se, ¹¹⁷Sn, ¹¹⁹Sn, ¹²⁵Te and (by the insensitive nuclei enhanced by polarization transfer technique)¹⁵N].