X-Ray crystal structures of some lithium aryl thiolates: monomeric [o-MeC 6 H 4 SLi·(NC 5 H 5 ) 3 ], chain [PhSLi·(NC 5 H 5 ) 2 ] ∞ , and the unique folded ladder of [PhCH 2 SLi·NC 5 H 5 ] ∞ with Li–S rungs

The X-ray crystallographic study of the title compounds has shown a remarkable structural variation induced by minor changes in the anion, [PhCH2SLi·NC5H5]∞ forming an infinite folded ladder polymer with Li–S rungs, removal of the CH2 group to give [PhSLi·(NC5H5)2]∞ resulting in a polymer containing an infinite Li–S chain, while the introduction of an Me group into the ortho-position in [o-MeC6H4SLi·(NC5H5)3] prevents association; all three structures have tetrahedral lithium whereas the co-ordination around sulphur varies from 2 to 4.