Synthesis and crystal structure of [C6H5Hg(H2NSiMe3)][H2N{B(C6F5)3}2], a phenyl–mercury(II) cation stabilised by a non-coordinating counter-anion

Abstract The new heteroleptic mercury(II) complex PhHgN(SiMe 3 ) 2 ( 1 ) reacts with the strong Bronsted acid [H(OEt 2 ) 2 ][H 2 N{B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 } 2 ] with cleavage of a N–Si bond to give [C 6 H 5 Hg(H 2 NSiMe 3 )][H 2 N{B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 } 2 ] ( 2 ), a phenyl–mercury(II) cation stabilised by a primary amine and a non-coordinating counter-anion. Attempts to generate donor-free aryl mercury cations were not successful. The crystal structure of 2  · CH 2 Cl 2 shows short π-bonding interactions between the metal and the phenyl ring of a neighbouring cation; the geometry about the mercury(II) atom is nearly linear. The X-ray structures of the new salts [H 2 N(SiMe 3 ) 2  · H 3 NSiMe 3 ][B(C 6 F 5 ) 4 ] 2 and [Et 3 O][H 2 N{B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 } 2 ] · CH 2 Cl 2 are also presented.