The novel 1D chain and 3D network of mercury carborane–diphenylphosphine complexes constructed by covalent bond or hydrogen bond interactions

The closo- and nido-carborane–diphenylphosphine complexes [Hg2{1,2-(PPh2)2-1,2-C2B10H10}2(μ-Cl2)2(μ-HgCl2)3]·2CH2Cl2 (1) and [HgCl(PPh3){7,8-(PPh2)2-7,8-C2B9H10}] (2) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR and X-ray structure determination. The X-ray structure analysis for these two complexes showed that the carborane cage ligand was coordinated bidentately to the Hg(II) center through its two phosphorus atoms. The coordination geometry of the mercury atom complexed by P2Cl2 unit in complex 1 or P3Cl unit in complex 2 was a distorted tetrahedron, while the mercury atom in complex 2 coordinated to six Cl atoms was a slightly distorted octahedron. X-ray analysis reveals that the complex 1 forms a 1D chain coordination polymer via bridged Hg–Cl bonds. For complex 2, it displays a 3D network constructed by the C–H···Cl hydrogen bonds and C–H···H–B dihydrogen bonds.