The first examples of germanium tetrafluoride and tin tetrafluoride complexes with soft thioether coordination--synthesis, properties and crystal structures.

The first thioether complexes of the hard Lewis acidic GeF(4) and SnF(4) have been prepared by reaction of [GeF(4)(MeCN)(2)] or [SnF(4)(MeCN)(2)] respectively with the thioether ligand in rigorously anhydrous CH(2)Cl(2) solution. The isolated compounds were characterised spectroscopically (IR, (1)H and (19)F{(1)H} NMR) and by microanalyses. Crystal structures of four representative examples, [GeF(4){MeS(CH(2))(2)SMe}], [GeF(4){EtS(CH(2))(2)SEt}], [SnF(4){EtS(CH(2))(2)SEt}] and [SnF(4){(i)PrS(CH(2))(2)S(i)Pr}], reveal distorted octahedral adducts with chelating thioethers, and weak, secondary Ge-S and Sn-S bonds. These compounds are the first reported examples of thioether complexes with any main group metal/metalloid fluoride acceptor.