Bis(N-benzyl-N-furfuryldithiocarbamato-S,S′)mercury(II) as a precursor for the preparation of mercury sulfide nanoparticles

Bis(N-benzyl-N-furfuryldithiocarbamato-S,S')mercury(II), [Hg(bzfdtc)(2)] (1) and bis(N,N-difurfuryldithiocarbamato-S,S')mercury(II), [Hg(dfdtc)(2)] (2) were synthesized and characterized by IR, NMR and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Single-crystal X-ray structures of 1 and 2 indicate that both complexes are dimeric, with each mercury in a distorted [HgS5] square pyramidal geometry. The thioureide ((NCS2)-C-13) carbon signals were observed at 206.8 and 206.7 ppm for 1 and 2, respectively, with very weak intensity, characteristic of the quaternary carbon signal. Complex 1 has been used as a precursor for the preparation of HgS nanoparticles. The as-prepared HgS nanoparticles have been characterized by powder XRD, FESEM, EDAX, UV-visible and IR spectroscopies. FESEM images of HgS nanoparticles show that the particles are spherical in shape. The blue shift in the absorption maxima in the UV-visible spectra of HgS1 and HgS2 is a consequence of the quantum confinement effect. (C) 2014 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.