Synthesis and solution studies by electrospray mass spectroscopy of new bis(imidazolyl)borate organotin(IV) complexes

Abstract

New organotin(IV) derivatives containing the anionic dihydrobis(1-imidazolyl)borate [H 2B(im) 2] − have been synthesized from the reaction between SnR n X 4− n (R=Me, Ph, n Bu or Cy; n=1–3) acceptors and [K{H 2B(im) 2}·(DMAC)] (DMAC=dimethylacetamide). Mono-nuclear complexes of the type {[H 2B(im) 2]R n SnCl 4− n−1 } have been obtained, which have been fully characterized by elemental analyses and FT-IR in the solid state and by NMR ( 1H and 119Sn) spectroscopy, conductivity measurements and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS) in solution. ESIMS spectra of a methanol solution of the complexes show the existence of hydrolysed species for mono- and di-organotin(IV) derivatives, while non-hydrolysed aggregates are detected for triorganotin(IV) derivatives.