Electrochemical synthesis of a tetrahedral trinuclear nickel(II) complex with a tridentated arenephosphinothiol ligand

A trinuclear Ni(II) complex with the tridentated aromatic phosphinothiol ligand PhP(C6H4SH-2)2 has been obtained by an electrochemical procedure. The crystal structure shows that the three Ni(II) ions are in a different distorted tetrahedral environment. The denticity and flexibility of the ligand permit the tetrahedral geometry instead of the square planar geometry, the most stable geometrical state for Ni(II) d8 systems.