Two novel compounds: polynuclear catena-poly[bis(3-O,O’-di-cyclo-hexyldithiophosphato-S,S,S’)digold(I)] (Au–Au) (1) and crystalline bis(O,O’-di-cyclo-hexylthiophosphoryl)disulphide, (cyclo-C6H11O)2P(S)S–S(S)P(O-cyclo-C6H11) (2) were prepared using heterogeneous reaction between freshly precipitated binuclear cadmium(II) dithiophosphate (Dtph), [Cd2{S2P(O-cyclo-C6H11}4] and H[AuCl4] in 2 M hydrochloric acid. The isolated compounds 1 and 2 (the fixation mode of gold from the solution and the oxidised form of Dtph groups, respectively) have been studied by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction, 13C and 31P cross-polarisation / magic-angle-spinning (CP/MAS) NMR spectroscopy and simultaneous thermal analysis (STA). Centrosymmetric binuclear molecule of 1, [Au2{S2P(O-cyclo-C6H11)2}2] comprises a pair of -bridging di-cyclo-hexyl Dtph ligands, linking two neighbouring gold atoms, and displays additional intramolecular aurophilic bond Au···Au. At the supramolecular level of structural self-organisation of complex 1, infinite polymeric zigzag chains arise due to pairs of the secondary bonds Au···S between neighbouring binuclear molecules. Centrosymmetric molecule of 2 displays two O,O-di-cyclo-hexythiophosphoryl fragments, which are connected by the chemical bond S(1)–S(1)a, and a planar zigzag array [S=P–S–S–P=S] passing through the central part of the molecule. To characterise additionally the Dtph groups in both compounds 1 and 2, chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) parameters (aniso and) were calculated from spinning sideband manifolds in experimental 31P MAS NMR spectra. The thermal behaviour of complex 1 was studied using simultaneous thermal analysis (a combination of TG and DSC) under an argon atmosphere. The thermal behaviour displays stepwise mass loss, comprising thermal decompositions of the organic and inorganic parts of 1 with gold(I) dithio-meta-phosphate and reduced metallic gold as the intermediate and the final products, respectively.

The paper deals with reactions of freshly precipitated diisopropyl dithiophosphate (Dtph) complexes of nickel(II), [Ni{S2P(O-iso-C3H7)(2)}(2)] and cadmium, [Cd-2{S2P(O-iso-C3H7)(2)}(4)], with the [AuCl4](-) in 2M HCl, resulting in gold transition from the solution to the precipitate as polymeric gold(I) diisopropyl dithiophosphate. The reduction of gold(III) to gold(I) noted in both cases is due to oxidation of the relevant part of the Dtph group to bis(O,O'-di-(iso)-propoxythiophosphoryl) disulfide, (iso-C3H7O)(2)P(S)S-S(S)P(O-iso-C3H7)(2). The polynuclear gold(I) complex [Au-2{S2P(O-iso-C3H7)(2)}(2)] (n) (I) was isolated on a preparative scale from the chemisorption system and studied by MAS P-31 NMR and X-ray diffraction. The key structural unit of I is the non-centrosymmetric binuclear molecule [Au-2{S2P(O-iso-C3H7)(2)}(2)] in which the gold atoms are connected by two bridging Dtph groups. The structure contains two types of non-equivalent binuclear molecules related as conformational isomers. Owing to the relatively weak Au-Au contacts, the neighboring binuclear [Au-2{S2P(O-iso-C3H7)(2)}(2)] molecules are involved in an infinite polymeric chain with conformer alternation along the chain. To elucidate the conditions for the recovery of bound gold(I), the precipitates formed in the sorption systems were studied by simultaneous thermal analysis under argon. As the final product, thermolysis gives reduced metallic gold. The ability of dithiophosphate complexes to bind gold from a solution is much lower than that of dithiocarbamate complexes, which is due to oxidation of some Dtph groups to disulfide.

Four novel heteropolynuclear and polynuclear complexes of the general formulae [Au(S2CNR2)2]2X (X = [CdCl4]2-, R = CH3 (1); X = [Cd2Cl6]2-, R = C3H7 (2)) and [Au(S2CNR2)2][AuCl4] (R = iso-C3H7 (3); R = iso-C4H9 (4)) were prepared using heterogeneous reactions between appropriate freshly precipitated binuclear cadmium(II) dialkyl dithiocarbamates and AuCl3 in 2 M hydrochloric acid. The isolated complexes were studied by 13C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and simultaneous thermal analysis (STA) under an argon atmosphere. In all molecular structures (1–4), one of the gold atoms coordinates two dialkyl dithiocarbamate ligands in the S,S’-bidentate mode, forming a square-planar coordination polygon [AuS4], while the other gold atom (in 3 and 4) has four neighbouring chlorine atoms [AuCl4]. At the supramolecular level, compounds 1 and 2 comprise binuclear cations, [Au2{S2CN(CH3)2}4]2+ and polynuclear chains, ([Au{S2CN(C3H7)2}2]+)n in a combination with [CdCl4]2- and [Cd2Cl6]2- anions, respectively. Unexpected structural distinctions at the supramolecular level were discovered for the chemically related compounds 3 and 4. In these ionic complexes, there are either cationic trinuclear formations, {[Au{S2CN(iso-C3H7)2}2]2[AuCl4]}+, or polynuclear chains, ([Au{S2CN(iso-C4H9)2}2]+)n, both combined with [AuCl4]– anions, in the structural basis of compounds 3 and 4, respectively.

Four different dialkyldithiophosphate (DTP) ions, (RO)2PSS– (R = C3H7, iso-C3H7, iso-C4H9, cyclo-C6H11) have been adsorbed on the surface of synthetically prepared stibnite, Sb2S3, and studied by means of 31P CP/MAS NMR. Corresponding individual [Sb{(S2P(OR)2}3] complexes have also been synthesized and used for comparison with the surface adsorbed DTP species. The results show that a low concentration of collector at the surface leads to a chemisorbed monolayer of DTP on the mineral surface. At high concentration of DTP, a surface precipitate of Sb(DTP)3 is formed. 31P CP/MAS NMR and chemical shift anisotropy data indicate that the S–P–S bite angle of the chemisorbed DTP groups on the surface is larger than in the corresponding precipitated complexes and the coordination of the ligands differ. Using single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique, the molecular structure of a solvated form of crystalline O,O’-di-cyclo-hexyldithiophosphate antimony(III) complex has been resolved. In this novel molecular structure, the central antimony atom S,S’-anisobidentately coordinates three structurally non-equivalent DTP groups and, therefore, the geometry of the [SbS6] chromophore can be approximated by a distorted octahedron. Besides that, useful correlations between 31P CSA parameters and structural data on this complex were also established.

Crystalline bis(N,N-di-iso-butyldithiocarbamato-S,S′)(pyridine)cadmium(II) – adduct 1 was prepared and studied by means of multinuclear 13C, 15N, 113Cd CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and simultaneous thermal analysis (STA). In molecular structure 1, the cadmium atom coordinates with four sulphur atoms and one nitrogen atom of pyridine, forming a coordination polyhedron [CdS4N] whose geometry is an almost ideal tetragonal pyramidal (C4v). The coordinated py molecule is in the apical position, while two structurally non-equivalent di-iso-butyldithiocarbamate ligands, playing the same terminal S,S’-chelating function, define the basal plane. To characterise additionally the structural state of the cadmium atom in this five-fold coordination, 113Cd chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) parameters, δaniso and η, were calculated from experimental MAS NMR spectra that revealed an almost axially symmetric 113Cd chemical shift tensor. From a combination of TG and DSC measurements taken under an argon atmosphere, we found that the mass of adduct 1 is lost in two steps involving initial desorption of coordinated py molecules with subsequent thermal destruction of liberated cadmium(II) di-iso-butyldithiocarbamate, with yellow-orange, fine-powdered solid CdS as the final product.

Crystalline bis(O,O’-di-sec-butyldithiophosphato)platinum(II) was prepared and studied by means of 31P, 13C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The unit cell of the platinum(II) compound is comprised of one centrosymmetric mononuclear molecule [Pt{S2P(O-sec-C4H9)2}2], in which the dithiophosphate groups display structural equivalence in both 31P NMR and XRD data. A pair of the dithiophosphate ligands exhibit the same S,S’-bidentate chelating structural function and form two planar four-membered chelate rings, [PtS2P], in this molecule. The planar configuration of the [PtS4] chromophore in structure 1 is governed by the dsp2-hybrid state of platinum(II). The structural states of the dithiophosphate groups in two different samples of complex 1 (one crystallised from ethanol and the other one precipitated from an aqueous solution) are all characterised by almost rhombic 31P chemical shift tensors. The observed essential dispersion of the 31P NMR chemical shift is caused by a coexistence of six optical isomers of molecule 1. The thermal behaviour of this compound was studied by means of simultaneous thermal analysis (a combination of TG and DSC) under an argon atmosphere. The thermal behaviour shows that the mass of 1 is lost in three steps, involving successive thermal decompositions of the organic and inorganic parts of this compound with platinum(II) dithio-meta-phosphate and reduced metallic platinum as the intermediate and the final products, respectively.

The crystalline polymeric thallium(I) O,O′-diisopropyl dithiophosphate [Tl{S2P(O-iso-C3H7)2}] n (I) was obtained and examined by solid-state 13C and 31P CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy. Diagrams of the χ2 statistic were constructed from the complete 31P MAS NMR spectra and used to calculate the 31P chemical shift anisotropy (δaniso = (δ zz - δiso)) and the asymmetry parameter (η = (δ yy - δ xx )/(δ zz - δiso)). The 31P chemical shift tensor has a nearly axial symmetry (η = 0.22, δ zz < δ yy ≈ δ xx ). The MAS NMR spectral patterns correspond to the negative sign of δaniso (δ zz < δ yy < δ xx ), which indicates bridging or chelating-bridging coordination of the dithiophosphate ligands (Dtph). X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a polymeric structure of compound I. The polymer chain consists of alternating mononuclear [Tl{S2P(O-iso-C3H7)2}] molecules with opposite spatial orientations. The Dtph ligands are coordinated in a mixed, chelating-μ3-bridging fashion. The shape of the 31P NMR signal was interpreted in terms of the 31P-203,205Tl coupling pattern proposed from crystallographic data.

Two crystalline modifications (Ia and Ib) of the polynuclear thallium (I) O,O′-dicyclohexyl phosphorodithioate complex [Tl{S2P(O-cyclo-C6H11)2}] n have been synthesized and characterized by CP/MAS NMR (13C, 31P). From full 31P CP/MAS NMR spectra, the χ2 plots were constructed to calculate the 31P chemical shift anisotropy 31P - δaniso = (δzz - δiso) and asymmetry parameters η = (δ yy - δ xx )/(δ zz - δiso). The data obtained for the O,O′-dicyclohexyl phosphorodithioate (Dtph) groups (in both modifications) are evidence that the 31P chemical shift tensors are intermediate between rhombic and axially symmetric. However, whereas the rhombic component dominates for Ia, the tensor for Ib is close to axially symmetric (for δ zz < δ yy ≈ δ xx ). The same pattern of the MAS spectra corresponding to negative δaniso (δ zz < δ yy < δ xx ) points to a bridging or terminal/bridging coordination mode of the Dtph groups. X-ray crystallography shows that complex Ib has a polynuclear structure (of the chain polymer type). The chains are composed of alternating structurally nonequivalent noncentrosymmetric binuclear molecules [Tl2{S2P(O-cyclo-C6H11)2}2]. All Dtph ligands have the terminal/μ3-bridging coordination mode.

The crystalline tetraphenylantimony(V) O,O′-di-iso-propyl phosphorodithioate complex [Sb(C6H5)4{S2P(O-i-C3H7)2}](I) and its solvated form [Sb(C6H5)4{S2P(O-i-C3H7)2}] · 1/2C6H6(II) were synthesized. Solid compounds I and II were studied by MAS NMR (13C, 31P). The 31P NMR chemical shift anisotropy 31P δaniso = (δ zz - δiso) and asymmetry parameter η = (δ yy - δ xx )/(δ zz - δiso) were calculated using χ 2 plots constructed on the basis of the 31P MAS NMR data. The O,O′-di-iso-propyl phosphorodithioate ligands in both complexes are characterized by predominantly the axially symmetric 31P chemical shift tensor (for the case δ zz < δ xx ≈ δ yy ) with close values of anisotropy parameters (δaniso and η), which reflects their identical S-monodentate structural function. X-ray crystallography showed that II has a trigonal-bipyramidal molecular structure with the uncommon monodentate coordination of the Dtph ligands through an S atom in an axial position of the trigonal bipyramid and the benzene molecule in the outer sphere.

31P CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy was used to study the adsorption of six different O,O′-dialkyldithiophosphate ions on the surface of synthetic galena (PbS). The 31P CP/MAS NMR spectra of the surface lead(II) dithiophosphates were compared with the 31P CP/MAS NMR spectra of polycrystalline lead(II) dithiophosphate complexes of the same ligands. Surface complexation of the dialkyldithiophosphate ions was established on the surface of PbS. A terminal S,S′-chelating coordination is suggested for the surface complexes. The bulkier alkyl groups lead to surface precipitation in addition to the surface adsorption. Derivatives of monothiophosphoric and phosphoric acids were displayed as hydrolysis products of dialkyldithiophosphates on the synthetic PbS, the amount of which depends on the type of alkyl group.