Synthesis, characterization and crystal structure of a zinc bis-dithiocarboxylate derivative

The zinc(II) complex, Zn(3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxybenzene-dithiocarboxylate)2(pyridine) (3) was obtained by the reaction of Zn(CH3CN)4(BF4)2 with the sodium salt of 3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxybenzene-dithiocarboxylate (1) with subsequent recrystallization from pyridine. The latter salt (1) was prepared by the deprotonation of 2,6-di-t-butylphenol with NaH in THF, followed by reaction with carbon disulfide at ambient temperature. The structure of complex 3 was established by X-ray crystallography and shown to be of a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry with one sulfur atom from each of the dithiocarboxylate ligands occupying the axial sites. By way of contrast, Na(2,4-di-t-butylphenolate) was found to react with CS2 to afford the xanthate derivative, Na(O-2,4-di-t-butylphenyldithiocarbonate) (4).