Synthesis, characterization and hydrolytic behavior of new bis(2-pyridylthio)acetate ligand and related organotin(IV) complexes

The new sodium bis(2-pyridylthio)acetate ligand, Na[(pyS)2CHCO2], has been prepared in ethanol solution using 2-mercaptopyridine, dibromoacetic acid and NaOH. New mono- and di-organotin(IV) derivatives containing the anionic bis(2-pyridylthio)acetate have been synthesized from reaction between SnRnCl4−n (R = Me, Ph and nBu, n = 1–2) acceptors and Na[(pyS)2CHCO2]. Mono-nuclear complexes of the type {[(pyS)2CHCO2]RnSnCl4−n−1} have been obtained and characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR, ESI-MS, multinuclear (1H and 119Sn) NMR spectral data and X-ray crystallography. ESI-MS spectra of methanol solution of the complexes show the existence of hydrolysed species. Attempts to crystallize the dimethyltin(IV) derivative (3), from acetonitrile solution yield the dimeric dicarboxylatotetramethyldistannoxane (8), which was characterized by single crystal diffraction analysis.