Formation of a novel trinuclear spirostannoxane tin(IV) compound. Crystal and molecular structure of [Sn(nBu)(Cl)[(OCH2CH2S)2Sn(nBu)]2] and the stannolane [(nBu)Sn(SCH2CH2O)SCH2CH2OH].

The reaction of nBuSnCl3 and the sodium salt of 2-mercaptoethanol (1:1) in ethanol gave the compound Sn(nBu)(Cl)[(OCH2CH2S)2Sn(nBu)]2 (1). [(nBu)Sn(SCH2CH2O)SCH2CH2OH] (2) was initially isolated from the reaction of 1 with nBuMgCl as a rearrangement product but was also synthesized from nBuSn(O)OH and two molar equivalents of 2-mercaptoethanol. Both compounds were characterized by means of IR, 119Sn, 13C, and 1H NMR, FAB mass spectroscopy, and elemental analyses. The structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic Cc space group (a = 18.492(3) A, b = 17.329(2) A, c = 10.787(1) A, beta = 111.88(1) degrees, Z = 4), while 2 crystallizes in the orthorhombic Pbca space group (a = 14.458(2) A, b = 10.393(1) A, c = 16.479(2) A, Z = 8). 1 is a trimetallic Tin(IV) compound in which the central atom is in 6-fold coordination, while the two remaining tin atoms show 5-fold coordination. Both pentacoordinated tin atoms are bonded to a butyl group and to the oxygen and the sulfur atoms from two [OCH2CH2S]2- ligands forming two stannolanes, which are fused with the hexacoordinated tin atom forming a distannoxane system. This arrangement is quite different from previous ladder or staircase structures. NMR data point to maintenance of this structure in solution. 2 consists of [(nBu)Sn(SCH2CH2O)(SCH2CH2OH)] units, which are associated via intermolecular Sn-O interactions building up a dimer. The tin atom forms two "stannolane" units by interaction with [OCH2CH2S]2- and [HOCH2CH2S]- ligands.