REDUCTION OF ANTIMONY(V) BY DITHIOPHOSPHINATES AND THE CRYSTAL-STRUCTURE OF DIMERIC DIPHENYLANTIMONY(III) DIMETHYLDITHIOPHOSPHINATE

Reactions between three diorganodithiophosphinates and diphenylantimon y(V) bromide oxide (SbPh(2)OBr)(2), led to antimony reduction while di thiophosphinate oxidation followed a complex path varying in detail wi th the nature of the organic groups on dithiophosphinate. Antimony(III ) dithiophosphinates, SbPh(2)(S(2)PR(2)) where R = Me, Et and Ph, have been isolated and characterised and an X-ray structure determination for the methyl derivative shows weakly associated dimers in the solid state, intermediate between those in (SbPh(2)S(2)PPh(2))(2) and [Sb(4- MeC(6)H(4))(2)S(2)PEt](2). Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd