Diorganotin (IV) Heptacoordinated Complexes Containing Pentadentate [N3O2] Ligands Derived From 5-Substituted-Salicylaldehydes and Diethylenetriamine: Synthesis, Characterization, and Molecular Structure

A series of heptacoordinated tin(IV) mononuclear complexes [(R′)2Sn(5-X-saldien)] (X = H, OCH3, NO2) were synthesized by reaction of dimethyl-, di-n-butyl-, di-n-octyl-, and diphenyltin (IV) oxides with the pentadentate Schiff base ligands saldienH2, 5-MeO-saldienH2, and 5-NO2-saldienH2. All of the complexes were characterized by IR, mass spectrometry, and 1H, 13C, and 119Sn NMR spectroscopies, and the spectra display chemical shifts corresponding to a seven-coordinated tin environment. The crystal structures of complexes 2a, 2d, and 4b were determined by X-ray diffraction. The complexes are isostructural and the tin atoms exhibit pentagonal-bipyramidal geometries with the methyl, n-butyl, and phenyl groups occupying the axial positions and the donor atoms from the ligand occupying the equatorial positions. A fluxional behavior was also observed that involves a dissociation-association mechanism of the N-Sn bonds.