The ammine, thiosulfato, and mixed ammine/thiosulfato complexes of silver(I) and gold(I)

The M(I)-NH(3), M(I)-S(2)O(3)(2)(-), and M(I)-S(2)O(3)(2)(-)-NH(3) systems (M = Ag, Au) were studied at 25 degrees C and at I = 0.1 M (NaClO(4)) using a variety of analytical techniques. For the Ag(I)-NH(3)-S(2)O(3)(2)(-) system, AgS(2)O(3)NH(3)(-) was detected with formation constant log beta(111) (for the reaction Ag(+) + S(2)O(3)(2)(-) + NH(3) <--> AgS(2)O(3)NH(3)(-)) of 11.2, 10.4, and 10.8 on the basis of silver potentiometry, UV-vis spectrophotometry, and hydrodynamic voltammetry, respectively. Also, the values of log beta(101)(AgNH(3)(+)), log beta(102)(Ag(NH(3))(2)(+)), log beta(110)(AgS(2)O(3)(-)), and log beta(120)(Ag(S(2)O(3))(2)(3)(-)), obtained from silver potentiometry, were 3.59, 7.0, 8.97, 13.1, respectively. In the case of the ammine complexes, the log beta(101)(AgNH(3)(+)) and log beta(102)(Ag(NH(3))(2)(+)) values were found to be 3.5 and 7.1, respectively, from the UV-vis spectrophotometric experiments. The mixed species AuS(2)O(3)NH(3)(-) was detected in UV-vis spectrophotometric, hydrodynamic voltammetric, and potentiometric experiments with the stepwise formation constants (log K(111)) of -4.0, -3.5, -3.8, respectively, for the reaction Au(S(2)O(3))(2)(3)(-) + NH(3) <--> AuS(2)O(3)NH(3)(-) + S(2)O(3)(2)(-). At higher [NH(3)]/[S(2)O(3)(2)(-)] ratios (>10(5)), the formation of Au(NH(3))(2)(+) was also detected in spectrophotometric and potentiometric experiments with stepwise formation constants (log K(102)) of -5.4 and -5.3, respectively, according to the reaction AuS(2)O(3)NH(3)(-) + NH(3) <--> Au(NH(3))(2)(+) + S(2)O(3)(2)(-).