Synthesis and structure of tris(triphenyltin)benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate and its tri-DMSO adduct

Abstract

The molecular structure of (Ph3SnO2C)3C6H3 reveals distorted tetrahedral C3O geometries for each tin atom. No intermolecular Sn ... O associations occur between the molecules so that the trinuclear molecule may be considered monomeric. An increase in coordination number at tin is indicated by 119Sn NMR measurements conducted in d6-DMSO solution and this has been confirmed by a structure analysis of (DMSO ·Ph3SnO2C)3C6 H3·2 DMSO. In this structure, the tin atom geometries are distorted trigonal bipyramidal, existing within trans-C302 donor sets. Thus, while is it possible for the tin atoms to increase their coordination numbers in (Ph3SnO2C)3C6H3, molecular aggregation to form polymeric arrays is precluded, most likely due to steric constraints.