Reactions and structures in the gallium(III)/indium(III)-N,N-dimethylthioformamide systems

The structure of the N,N-dimethylthioformamide (DMTF) solvated gallium(III) ion has been determined in solution by means of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. The gallium(III) ion is four-coordinate in tetrahedral fashion with a mean Ga–S bond distance of 2.233(2) Å in DMTF solution. At the dissolution of indium(III) perchlorate or trifluoromethanesulfonate in DMTF coordinated solvent molecules are partly reduced to sulfide ions, and a tetrameric complex with the composition [In4S4(SHN(CH3)2)12]4+ is formed. The structure of the solid tetrameric complex in the perchlorate salt was solved with single crystal X-ray diffraction. Four indium(III) ions and four sulfide ions form a highly symmetric heterocubane structure where each indium binds three bridging sulfide ions and each sulfide ion binds three indium(III) ions with a mean In–S bond distance of 2.584(1) Å, and S–In–S angles of 90.3(1)°. Each indium(III) additionally binds three DMTF molecules at significantly longer mean In–S bond distance, 2.703(1) Å; the S–In–S angles are in the range 80.3–90.4°. Large angle X-ray scattering data on a DMTF solution of indium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate show that the same tetrameric species characterized in the solid state is also present in solution, whereas the EXAFS measurements only give information about the In–S bond distances due to the short core hole lifetime.

Graphical abstractIndium(III) reacts with N,N-dimethylthioformamide (DMTF) forming a novel tetrameric heterocubane complex with the composition [In4S4(C3H7NS)12]4+ (pictured), present in both solution and solid state, where each indium(III) ion octahedrally bind three bridging sulfide ions and three terminal DMTF molecules. The DMTF solvated gallium(III) ion has tetrahedral configuration in solution as determined by EXAFS.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide