Transition metal complexes of 2,4,6-trimercapto-1,3,5-triazine (TMT): potential precursors to nanoparticulate metal sulfides

Although known for over 100 years, complexes of the TMT ligand with transition metals have not, until now, been prepared in a predictable and controlled manner. In the present work, high yield, intentional syntheses of a series of transition metal–TMT combinations are reported. These are of the form M3(TMT)2·nH2O (M=Co (1), Cu (2), Cd(3)), M(HTMT)·nH2O (M=Co (4), Cu (5)) and M(H2TMT)2·nH2O (M=Co (6), Cu (7)). They are prepared by carefully controlling the pH of aqueous TMT solutions and metal to ligand stoichiometry. Serving to demonstrate that these transition metal–TMT complexes may be useful as materials precursors, nanoparticulate Greenockite (CdS) was formed by increasing the pH of a solution of 3.