Chloro(dimethyl sulfide)gold(I)

Structure

As for many other gold(I) complexes, the compound adopts a nearly linear (176.9°) geometry about the central gold atom. The Au-S bond distance is 2.271(2) Å, which is similar to other gold(I)-sulfur bonds.

Preparation

Chloro(dimethyl sulfide)gold(I) is commercially available. It may be prepared by dissolving gold in aqua regia (to give chloroauric acid), followed by addition of dimethyl sulfide. Alternatively, sodium tetrachloroaurate may be used as the source of gold(III). The bromo analog, Me2SAuBr, has also been synthesized by a similar route. An approximate equation is: :HAuCl4 + 2 SMe2 + H2O → Me2SAuCl + 3 HCl + OSMe2

A simple preparation starts from elemental gold in DMSO / conc HCl (1:2) where DMSO acts as an oxidant and the formed Me2S as ligand. As a side product, HAuCl4·2DMSO is formed.

Reactions

In chloro(dimethyl sulfide)gold(I), the dimethyl sulfide ligand is easily displaced by other ligands:{{cite journal| title=Intermolecular [2+2] Cycloaddition of Alkynes with Alkenes Catalyzed by Gold(I) |first1=M. Elena|last1=de Orbe|first2=Antonio M.|last2=Echavarren|journal=Org. Synth.|year=2016|volume=93|page=115| doi=10.15227/orgsyn.093.0115|doi-access=free}} :Me2SAuCl + L → LAuCl + Me2S (L = ligand) Since Me2S is volatile, the new complex LAuCl is often easily purified.

When exposed to light, heat, or air, the compound decomposes to elemental gold.

References

References

1. P. G. Jones and J. Lautner. (1988). "Chloro(dimethyl sulfide)gold(I)". [[Acta Crystallogr. C]].
2. Marie-Claude Brandys, Michael C. Jennings and Richard J. Puddephatt. (2000). "Luminescent gold(I) macrocycles with diphosphine and 4,4-bipyridyl ligands". [[J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans.]].
3. (2007). "Gold-Catalyzed Intermolecular Hydroamination of Allenes: First Example of the Use of an Aliphatic Amine in Hydroamination". [[Synlett]].
4. (2008). "Mitochondria-Targeted Chemotherapeutics: The Rational Design of Gold(I)N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes That Are Selectively Toxic to Cancer Cells and Target Protein Selenols in Preference to Thiols". [[J. Am. Chem. Soc.]].
5. (1998). "Complexes of gold(I) and platinum(II) with polyaromatic phosphine ligands". [[J. Organomet. Chem.]].