Molecular and Polymeric Metal(II) chalcogenolate clusters: synthesis and structural characterization

This study investigated the synthesis and structural characterization of mercury(II) selenolate molecular clusters and mixed mercury(II) seleninate/selenolate polymeric clusters. The novel tetranuclear mercury(II) selenolate molecular clusters [Hg4Br4(SePh)(4)(phen)(2)] (1) and [Hg4I4(SePh)(4)(phen)(2)] (2) were prepared by reacting Hg(SePh)(2) with mercury salts and 1,10-phenanthroline. The mixed mercury(II) seleninate/selenolate polymeric clusters [Hg2Br(O2SePh)(SePh)(2)](n) (3) and [Hg2I(O2SePh)(SePh)(2)](n) (4) were synthesized by reacting Hg(SePh)(2) with 3-chloroperbenzoic acid and mercury salts. Compounds 3 and 4 represent new examples of extended one-dimensional chains of closed ME (M- mercury; E- Se) systems, which result from the partial oxidation of mercury phenylselenolate clusters. The compounds 1 - 4 have been characterized by spectroscopic and crystallographic methods. Optical band gap values for 1 - 4 were estimated by UV-vis spectroscopy in the solid state. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study synthesized and characterized novel tetranuclear mercury(II) selenolate molecular clusters and mixed mercury(II) seleninate/selenolate polymeric clusters. The compounds represent new examples of extended one-dimensional chains and their optical band gap values were estimated by UV-vis spectroscopy in the solid state.