Gold complexes with potentially tri- and tetradentate phosphinothiolate ligands

Reactions of [Au(PPh3)Cl], (Bu4N)[AuCl4] and the organometallic gold comple x [Au(damp-C-1,N)Cl-2] (damp(-) = 2-(N,N-dimethylaminomethyl)phenyl) with t he potentially tri- and tetradentate proligands PhP(C6H3-SH-2-R-3)(2) (H2L1 a, R = SiMe3; H2L1b, R = H) and P(C6H4-SH-2)(3) (H3L2) result in the format ion of mono- or dinuclear gold complexes depending on the precursor used. M onomeric complexes of the type [(AuLCl)-Cl-1] are formed upon the reaction with [Au(damp-C-1,N)Cl-2], but small amounts of dinuclear [AuL1](2) complex es with gold in two different oxidation states, +1 and +3, have been isolat ed as side-products. The dinuclear compounds are obtained in better yields from [AuCl4](-). A dinuclear complex having two An(III) centers can be isol ated from the reaction of [Au(PPh3)Cl] with H3L2, whereas from the reaction with H2L1b the mononuclear [Au(Ph3P)HL1b] is obtained, which contains a th ree-coordinate gold atom. Comparatively short gold-gold distances have been found in the dinuclear complexes (2.978(2) and 3.434(1) Angstrom). They ar e indicative of weak gold-gold interactions, which is unusual for gold(III) .