UC Santa Barbara

The "masked" terminal Zn sulfide, [K(2.2.2-cryptand)][^Me LZn(S)] (2) (^Me L={(2,6-ⁱ Pr₂ C₆ H₃ )NC(Me)}₂ CH), was isolated via reaction of [^Me LZnSCPh₃ ] (1) with 2.3 equivalents of KC₈ in THF, in the presence of 2.2.2-cryptand, at -78 °C. Complex 2 reacts readily with PhCCH and N₂ O to form [K(2.2.2-cryptand)][^Me LZn(SH)(CCPh)] (4) and [K(2.2.2-cryptand)][^Me LZn(SNNO)] (5), respectively, displaying both Brønsted and Lewis basicity. In addition, the electronic structure of 2 was examined computationally and compared with the previously reported Ni congener, [K(2.2.2-cryptand)][^tBu LNi(S)] (^tBu L={(2,6-ⁱ Pr₂ C₆ H₃ )NC(^t Bu)}₂ CH).