Reactions of hybrid organotellurium ligands 1-(4-methoxyphenyl telluro)-2-[3-(6-methyl-2-pyridyl)propoxy]ethane (L1) and 1-ethylthio-2-[2-thienyltelluro]ethane (L2) with mercury (II) bromide: formation of complexes and their decomposition

The L1 and L2 synthesized by reacting nucleophiles [4-MeO-C6H4Te−] and [C4H3S-2-Te−] with 2-[3-(6-methyl-2-pyridyl) propoxy]ethyl chloride and chloroethyl ethyl sulfide, respectively, react with HgBr2 resulting in [HgBr2 · L1/L2] (1/4). On crystallization of 1 from acetone-hexane (2:1) mixture the cleavage of L1 occurs resulting in 4-MeOC6H4HgBr (2) and [RTe→HgBr2]Br− (3) (R = -CH2CH2OCH2CH2CH2-(2-(6-CH3-C5H3N))) without the involvement of strong intramolecular interactions in the stabilization of the products. The L2 cleaves on crystallization of 4 giving [(EtS(CH2)2SEt)HgBr(μ-Br)Hg(Br)(μ-Br)2Hg(Br)(μ-Br)BrHg(EtS(CH2)2SEt)] · 2HgBr2 (5), [C4H3SCH2]2 and Te, without any transmetalation. The 5 has [HgBr3]− unit, one Hg in distorted tetrahedral geometry and one in pseudo-trigonal bipyramidal one.