Preparation, crystal and molecular structures of Ph2CNSNSO and a comparison of the —SNSO and —SNSS chromophores

Abstract

The sulphenyl chloride, Ph2CNSCl, prepared insitu from Ph2CNSiMe3 and sulphur dichloride, has been employed in the synthesis of Ph2CNSNSO and Ph2CNSNSNSNCPh2 by reaction with Me3SiNSO and Me3SiNSNSiMe3, respectively. An X-ray structural determination of Ph2CNSNSO shows it to consist of a planar cis-trans chain. The crystals are triclinic and belong to the space group[Formula: see text], a = 9.9078(8), b = 10.0967(9), c = 15.1682(14) Å, α = 78.646(7), β = 71.065(7), γ = 63.449(7)°, V = 1281.5(5) Å3, Z = 4. The final R and Rw values were 0.033 and 0.027, respectively. The π* → π* excitation energies for the RSNSO and RSNSS chromophores are compared for different R groups and discussed in the light of MNDO calculations on the model compounds HSNSX (X = S, O). The thermal decomposition of both Ph2CNSNSO and Ph2CNSNSNSNCPh2 produced S4N4 and Ph2CO or (Ph2CN)2S, respectively.