Photochemical reductive elimination of hexaazido complexes of tin(IV) and lead(IV)

Abstract

The discussion of the photochemistry of coordination compounds is almost exclusively restricted to complexes of transition metals. Although some scattered observations on the light sensitivity of coordination compounds of main-group metals have been reported, this important aspect of inorganic photochemistry has been largely ignored. A general concept which relates characteristic excited states to typical reactions does not yet exist for complexes of main-group metals. Systematic investigations in this field are also of interest with regard to technical applications. To some degree the lack of knowledge of this part of inorganic photochemistry seems to be related to the kinetic lability of complexes of main-group metals. In many cases well-defined compounds do not exist in solution, particularly in water. However, in organic solvents which are weakly coordinating many main-group metal complexes dissolve without decomposition and are thus susceptible to detailed photochemical studies. They report here their observations of an efficient photochemical reductive elimination of the complex ions (Sn(N/sub 3/)/sub 6/)/sup 2 -/ and (Pb(N/sub 3/)/sub 6/)/sup 2 -/ in acetonitrile. The photolysis leads to the formation of Sn(II) or Pb(II) and molecular nitrogen.