AbstractThe complex formation of silver(I) has been studied with the anions of simple mercaptans RSH which have been rendered soluble by replacing some H in the substituent R by OH. All equilibria constants refer to a solvent of ionic strength μ = 0,1 and 20°C.Monothioglycol HOCH2CH2SH (pK = 9.48) forms an amorphous insoluble mercaptide {AgSR} (s), ionic product [Ag+] [SR−] = 10−19.7. The solution in equilibrium with the solid contains the molecule AgSR at a constant concentration of 10−6.7 M which furnishes the formation constant of the 1:1‐complex: K1 = 1013. 0. The solid is soluble in excess of mercaptide (AgSR+SR− → Ag(SR)2−: K2 = 104. 8) as well as in an excess of silver ion (AgSR + Ag+ → Ag2SR+K ≈︁ 106).With the bulky monothiopentaerythrite (HOCH2)3CCH2SH (pK = 9.89) no precipitation occurs with silver when the mercaptan concentration is below 10−3. 2M. A single polynuclear Ag10(SR)9+ (β10.9 = 10175) is formed in acidic solutions which breaks up with the formation of Ag2SR+ (β2.1 = 1019.0) when an excess of silver ion is added. Below the mononuclear wall ([RS]total < 10−6) Ag2SR+ is formed via the mononuclear AgSR (K1 = 1013). At higher mercaptan concentrations ([RS]tot > 10−3.2) an amorphous precipitate is formed which has almost the same solubility product as silver thioglycolate ([Ag+] [SR−] = 10−19.1).Apparently silver(I) forms with mercaptans always the complexes Ag2SR+, AgSR and Ag(SR)2−. Above the mononuclear wall, these species condense to chain‐like polynuclears which are cations Ag(SRAg)n+ in presence of an excess of Ag+, and anions SR (AgSR)n− when the concentration [RS−] is larger than [Ag+]. Usually n becomes rapidly very large as soon as the condensation starts (n → ∞: precipitate). The decanuclear Ag(SRAg)9+ formed with thiopentaerythrit is somewhat more stable than the shorter chains (n < 9) and larger chains (n > 9), because it can tangle up to a ball by coordination of bridging mercapto‐sulfur to the terminal silver ions (figure 12, page 2179). This ball seems to be further stabilized by hydrogen bonds between the many alcoholic OH groups of the substituent R = (HOCH2)3CCH2. The stability of the bonds AgS, however, is little influenced by the substituent R which carries the mercaptide sulfure.
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