Mononuclear tris(2-mercapto-1-arylimidazolyl)hydroborato complexes of zinc, [TmAr]ZnX: structural evidence that a sulfur rich coordination environment promotes the formation of a tetrahedral alcohol complex in a synthetic analogue of LADH

The tris(2-mercapto-1-mesitylimidazolyl)borate ligand, [TmMes]–, has been used to synthesize {[TmMes]Zn(HOMe)}+, a stable monomeric tetrahedral zinc–methanol complex which resembles the proposed alcohol intermediate in the catalytic cycle of the mechanism of action of liver alcohol dehydrogenase.