Chloro(tetrahydrothiophene)gold(I), abbreviated (tht)AuCl, is a
coordination complex
A coordination complex consists of a central atom or ion, which is usually metallic and is called the ''coordination centre'', and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions, that are in turn known as '' ligands'' or complexing agents. ...
of
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
. Like
the dimethyl sulfide analog, this compound is used as a entry point to gold chemistry. The
tetrahydrothiophene ligand is labile and is readily substituted with other stronger ligands.
Preparation
This compound may be prepared by the reduction of
tetrachloroauric acid with
tetrahydrothiophene:
:
The complex adopts a linear coordination geometry, as is typical of many gold(I) compounds. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group ''Pmc''2
1 with a = 6.540(1) Å, b = 8.192(1) Å, c = 12.794(3) Å with Z = 4 formula units per unit cell. The bromide congener is isostructural.
It is somewhat less thermally labile compared to (Me
2S)AuCl, but is still sensitive to temperature and light.
References
{{sulfur compounds
Gold(I) compounds
Chlorides
Thiolanes
Chloro complexes
Gold–sulfur compounds
Gold–halogen compounds