Asymmetric fluoro-organomercurials. Part 2. The synthesis and characterisation of the fluorovinyl-mercurials RHgCXdouble bond; length as m-dashCF2 (R = Ph, Fc; X = F, Cl): The single crystal X-ray structures of PhHgCFdouble bond; length as m-dashCF2, FcHg

The asymmetric fluorovinyl mercurials RHgCXdouble bond; length as m-dashCF2 (R = Ph, Fc; X = F, Cl) have been prepared from RHgCl and LiCXdouble bond; length as m-dashCF2, the later being derived from the reaction of HFC-134a, CF3CH2F (X = F) or HCFC-133a, CF3CH2Cl (X = Cl) and n-BuLi. All the complexes have been fully characterised by spectroscopic methods and, apart from PhHgCCldouble bond; length as m-dashCF2, the compounds are sufficiently stable to be investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, making this the first report of structurally characterised asymmetric fluorovinyl mercurial complexes of the type RHg(CXdouble bond; length as m-dashCF2). In the solid state all of the structurally characterised complexes demonstrate asymmetric Hg–C distances and extensive intramolecular Hg⋯F and Hg⋯η2-arene interactions are observed.