Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026
![The Synthesis of [Sn10(Si(SiMe3)3)4]2- Using a Metastable Sn(I) Halide Solution Synthesized via a Co-condensation Technique](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F54498.jpg&w=3840&q=50)
The Synthesis of [Sn10(Si(SiMe3)3)4]2- Using a Metastable Sn(I) Halide Solution Synthesized via a Co-condensation Technique
Published on: November 28, 2016
[XIm][FeI(CO)3(SnI3)2] (XIm: EMIm, EHIm, PMIm) containing a barbell-shaped FeSn2-carbonyl complex
Silke Wolf1, Florian Winter, Rainer Pöttgen
1Institut für Anorganische Chemie, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Engesserstrasse 15, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.
Abstract:
By reacting Fe(CO)(5) and SnI(4) in the ionic liquids [XIm][NTf(2)] (XIm: 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium/EMIm, 1-ethyl-imidazolium/EHIm, 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium/PMIm; NTf(2): bistrifluoridomethansulfonimide), the compounds [XIm][FeI(CO)(3)(SnI(3))(2)] are obtained as transparent, dark red crystals. According to single-crystal structure analysis, the title compounds crystallize monoclinically and contain the anionic carbonyl complex [FeI(CO)(3)(SnI(3))(2)](-) as well as [EMIm](+), [EHIm](+) or [PMIm](+) cations. The anionic carbonyl is composed of a Sn-Fe-Sn barbell-shaped building unit with Fe-Sn distances of 252.0(1) pm. Herein, tin is coordinated distorted tetrahedrally by iodine; iron is coordinated pseudo-octahedrally by three carbonyl ligands, one iodine atom and two tin atoms. Bonding situation and valence state are investigated in detail for [EMIm][FeI(CO)(3)(SnI(3))(2)] based on bond-lengths considerations, infrared spectroscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy, density functional theory and DFT-based Mulliken population analysis. Hence, the formal oxidation state of the metal atoms can be concluded to Fe(±0) and Sn(3+).
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Valence Bond Theory
Metal-Ligand Bonds
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
Formation of Complex Ions
Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature
Lewis Structures of Molecular Compounds and Polyatomic Ions
Structural Isomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly, SCN− can be...

