Cluster synthesis via ligand-arrested solid growth: triethylphosphine-capped fragments of binary metal chalcogenides

A new and potentially highly generalizable technique for synthesizing molecular fragments of binary solids is demonstrated through application to selected transition metal chalcogenides. Employing a metal atom reactor, the solids are evaporated with a tungsten heating boat, and the resulting vapor is co-condensed with triethylphosphine. Major cluster products identified from a survey of first-row transition metal sulfides include the known species Cr6S8(PEt3)6, Co6S8(PEt3)6, and Cu12S6(PEt3)8, as well as the unprecedented species Fe4S4(PBun3)4, Ni4S4(PEt3)8, and Cu6S4(PEt3)4. Reactions utilizing Cu2Se resulted in the much larger clusters Cu26Se13(PEt3)14 and Cu70Se35(PEt3)21. The core of the former has a Th-symmetry structure featuring a body-centered icosahedron of Se2- anions, while the latter adopts a triangular structure based on three hexagonal closest packed layers of Se2- anions. In both cases, the Cu+ cations occupy distorted tetrahedral or trigonal planar sites similar to those encountered in Cu2Se; however, emergence of the face-centered cubic anion lattice of the bulk solid is not yet apparent at these cluster sizes.