Bis(N-benzyl-N-furfuryldithiocarbamato-S,S′)mercury(II) as a precursor for the preparation of mercury sulfide nanoparticles

Bis(N-benzyl-N-furfuryldithiocarbamato-S,S′)mercury(II), [Hg(bzfdtc)2] (1) and bis(N,N-difurfuryldithiocarbamato-S,S′)mercury(II), [Hg(dfdtc)2] (2) were synthesized and characterized by IR, NMR and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Single-crystal X-ray structures of 1 and 2 indicate that both complexes are dimeric, with each mercury in a distorted [HgS5] square pyramidal geometry. The thioureide (N13CS2) carbon signals were observed at 206.8 and 206.7 ppm for 1 and 2, respectively, with very weak intensity, characteristic of the quaternary carbon signal. Complex 1 has been used as a precursor for the preparation of HgS nanoparticles. The as-prepared HgS nanoparticles have been characterized by powder XRD, FESEM, EDAX, UV–visible and IR spectroscopies. FESEM images of HgS nanoparticles show that the particles are spherical in shape. The blue shift in the absorption maxima in the UV–visible spectra of HgS1 and HgS2 is a consequence of the quantum confinement effect.