Formation of extended 1D coordination polymers in tetrathioether complexes of mercury(II): Effect of the organic substituents on the crystal structures of {Si(CH2SR)4}HgBr2 (R = Me, Ph)

Two novel one-dimensional (1D) coordination polymers of stoichiometry [{Si(CH2SR)4}HgBr2]n (R = Me, 2a; R = Ph, 2b) have been prepared by treatment of HgBr2 with the functionalized silanes Si(CH2SR)4 (R = Me, 1a; R = Ph, 1b) acting as tetradentate thioether ligands. The extended structures result from intermolecular Hg–S interactions linking the monomeric {Si(CH2SR)4}HgBr2 units, as established for 2a, b using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The effective coordination around the Hg atoms in both compounds is best described as distorted octahedral.