A Structural Survey of Poly-Functional Dithiocarbamate Ligands and the Aggregation Patterns They Sustain

An overview is presented of the crystal structures of transition metal, main group element, and lanthanide compounds containing poly-functional dithiocarbamate ligands, namely species containing two or more connected NCS2- residues. In all, there are 40 different ligands of this type that have been characterised crystallographically in their heavy-element compounds with up to six NCS2- residues; all are bridging. In most cases, the resulting aggregates are zero-dimensional, often di-nuclear, but aggregates of up to 36 metal (gold) atoms are noted. There are smaller numbers of one-, two-, and three-dimensional architectures sustained by poly-functional dithiocarbamate ligands in their respective crystals. The survey highlights the opportunities afforded by this generally under-studied class of ligand.

Automated summary

This article provides an overview of the crystal structures of transition metal, main group element, and lanthanide compounds containing poly-functional dithiocarbamate ligands. The study highlights the predominantly zero-dimensional aggregates formed by these ligands in their respective crystals, although there are also some one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional structures observed.