Molecular Structure of Dimethyltin Dichloride as Studied by Gas-electron Diffraction

The molecular structure of dimethyltin dichloride was determined by the sector-microphotometer method of electron diffraction to be as follows: rg(Sn–Cl)=2.327±0.003 Å, rg(Sn–C)=2.108±0.007 Å, and rg(C–H)=1.113±0.020 Å, and all the valency angles were near 109.5°. In comparison with the Sn–Cl distances in the series of Sn(CH3)4−nCln, as determined previously by the same method, a regular bond contraction in going from Sn(CH3)3Cl to SnCl4, as pointed out previously by Skinner and Sutton, was ascertained.