SYNTHESIS AND SOME PROPERTIES OF T-CAGE TYPE COIII4HGII4 AND RHIII4HGII4 OCTANUCLEAR COMPLEXES WITH 2-AMINOETHANETHIOLATE

Abstract The reaction of fac ( S )-[M(aet) 3 ] (M = Co III , Rh IIII ; aet = 2-aminoehanethiolate) with HgO in water produced T-cage type octanuclear complexes, [{ M(aet) 3 } 4 Hg III 4 O ] 6+ ( M = CO III ( 1 ); Rh III ( 2 )) , although a similar reaction with HgCl 2 has given only the S-bridged pentanuclear complex. 1 and 2 gave only two isomers, ΔΔΔΔ and ΛΛΛΛ, and they were optically resolved. The obtained isomers were characterized on the basis of electronic absorption, circular dichroism (CD), 1 H and 13 C NMR spectral and electrochemical behavior. The Hg(II) atoms in the complex cation take tetrahedral coordination modes and the T-cage type octanuclear structure is formed selectively in the present reaction conditions. The selective formations of the polynuclear complexes with the Hg(II) atoms were discussed in comparison with the corresponding polynuclear complexes with the Zn(II) and Cd(II) atoms.