IChO 1998 · Theory problem 6

Tin(IV) halide complexes: geometry, electrospray MS and 119Sn NMR

Unlike carbon, tin can increase its coordination number beyond four. Like carbon, tin forms a chloride, \(\ce{SnCl4}\).

6.1 Draw two alternative geometries for \(\ce{SnCl4}\).

Lewis acids such as \(\ce{SnCl4}\) react with Lewis bases such as chloride ion or amines. In the case of chloride the following two reactions are observed.

Figure 1

and

Figure 2

6.2 Draw three alternative geometries for \(\ce{SnCl5^-}\).

6.3 Use Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory to predict which geometry is likely to be preferred for \(\ce{SnCl5^-}\).

6.4 Draw three alternative geometries for \(\ce{SnCl6^2-}\).

6.5 Use VSEPR theory to predict which of these geometries is likely to be preferred for \(\ce{SnCl6^2-}\).

A solution containing \(\ce{SnCl6^2-}\) (as the tetrabutylammonium salt) was examined by negative ion electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS). The spectrum contains a single peak at \(m/z = 295\).

You may assume that the only isotopes observed in this species are \(\ce{^{120}Sn}\) and \(\ce{^{35}Cl}\).

6.6 Write the empirical formula for the tin-containing species detected by this technique.

A solution containing \(\ce{SnBr6^2-}\) (as the tetrabutylammonium salt) was examined by negative ion electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS). The spectrum contains a single peak at \(m/z=515\).

You may assume that the only isotopes observed in this species are \(\ce{^{120}Sn}\) and \(\ce{^{79}Br}\).

6.7 Write the formula for the tin-containing species detected by this technique.

The ESMS spectrum of a solution made by mixing equimolar amounts of \(\ce{SnCl6^2-}\) and \(\ce{SnBr6^2-}\) (as tetrabutylammonium salts) shows six major species (Fig. 1).

Figure 3

Fig. 1

6.8 Write the empirical formula for each of the four new species.

\(\ce{^{1}H}\) and \(\ce{^{13}C}\) NMR spectroscopy of molecules enable detection of a separate signal for each proton and \(\ce{^{13}C}\) nucleus which is in a different environment. These signals are recorded on dimensionless parts per million (ppm) scale relative to some agreed standard reference compound. Similarly, \(\ce{^{119}Sn}\) NMR gives a signal for each tin atom which is in a different environment.

The \(\ce{^{119}Sn}\) NMR spectrum of a solution of \(\ce{SnCl6^2-}\) (as the tetrabutylammonium salt) contains only one signal which occurs at \(-732\) ppm (relative to tetramethyltin, \(\ce{Me4Sn}\)). The \(\ce{^{119}Sn}\) NMR spectrum of a solution of \(\ce{SnBr6^2-}\) (as the tetrabutylammonium salt) occurs at \(2064\) ppm. The \(\ce{^{119}Sn}\) NMR spectrum at \(60~^\circ\mathrm{C}\) of a solution formed by mixing equimolar amounts of \(\ce{SnCl6^2-}\) and \(\ce{SnBr6^2-}\) contains seven peaks (Fig. 2).

6.9 Write the empirical formula for the tin-containing species in this mixture that give rise to the peaks listed on the answer template.

Figure 4

Fig. 2

Cooling the solution causes a change to this \(\ce{^{119}Sn}\) NMR spectrum and at \(-30~^\circ\mathrm{C}\) ten peaks are observed (Fig. 3).

Figure 5

Fig. 3

6.10 Draw the geometry for the four tin-containing species present in this solution at \(-30~^\circ\mathrm{C}\) that give rise to the peaks at \(-1092\) and \(-1115\), \(-1322\) and \(-1336\) ppm.

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

The SMILES below use single bonds to represent connectivity. Their formal negative charge is placed on Sn; the tin oxidation state remains \(+4\). Coordination geometry is specified separately. The isomer-specific SMILES in 6.10 use extended octahedral stereochemistry notation, @OH1.

  • 6.1 Tin(IV) chloride, \(\ce{SnCl4}\), Cl[Sn](Cl)(Cl)Cl: tetrahedral and square planar.

  • 6.2 Pentachloridostannate(IV), \(\ce{[SnCl5]^-}\), Cl[Sn-](Cl)(Cl)(Cl)Cl: trigonal bipyramidal, square pyramidal, and pentagonal planar.

  • 6.3 Trigonal bipyramidal, corresponding to \(\mathrm{AX_5}\).

  • 6.4 Hexachloridostannate(IV), \(\ce{[SnCl6]^2-}\), Cl[Sn-2](Cl)(Cl)(Cl)(Cl)Cl: octahedral, trigonal prismatic, and hexagonal planar.

  • 6.5 Octahedral, corresponding to \(\mathrm{AX_6}\).

  • 6.6 \(\ce{[SnCl5]^-}\), pentachloridostannate(IV), Cl[Sn-](Cl)(Cl)(Cl)Cl; nominal \(m/z=295\).

  • 6.7 \(\ce{[SnBr5]^-}\), pentabromidostannate(IV), Br[Sn-](Br)(Br)(Br)Br; nominal \(m/z=515\).

  • 6.8 The four new ions are:

    \(m/z\) Formula Name SMILES
    339 \(\ce{[SnCl4Br]^-}\) Bromidotetrachloridostannate(IV) Br[Sn-](Cl)(Cl)(Cl)Cl
    383 \(\ce{[SnCl3Br2]^-}\) Dibromidotrichloridostannate(IV) Br[Sn-](Br)(Cl)(Cl)Cl
    427 \(\ce{[SnCl2Br3]^-}\) Tribromidodichloridostannate(IV) Br[Sn-](Br)(Br)(Cl)Cl
    471 \(\ce{[SnClBr4]^-}\) Tetrabromidochloridostannate(IV) Br[Sn-](Br)(Br)(Br)Cl
  • 6.9 The seven assignments, from left to right in Fig. 2, are:

    Peak Formula Name SMILES
    1, \(-732\) ppm \(\ce{[SnCl6]^2-}\) Hexachloridostannate(IV) Cl[Sn-2](Cl)(Cl)(Cl)(Cl)Cl
    2 \(\ce{[SnCl5Br]^2-}\) Bromidopentachloridostannate(IV) Br[Sn-2](Cl)(Cl)(Cl)(Cl)Cl
    3 \(\ce{[SnCl4Br2]^2-}\) Dibromidotetrachloridostannate(IV) Br[Sn-2](Br)(Cl)(Cl)(Cl)Cl
    4 \(\ce{[SnCl3Br3]^2-}\) Tribromidotrichloridostannate(IV) Br[Sn-2](Br)(Br)(Cl)(Cl)Cl
    5 \(\ce{[SnCl2Br4]^2-}\) Tetrabromidodichloridostannate(IV) Br[Sn-2](Br)(Br)(Br)(Cl)Cl
    6 \(\ce{[SnClBr5]^2-}\) Pentabromidochloridostannate(IV) Br[Sn-2](Br)(Br)(Br)(Br)Cl
    7, \(-2064\) ppm \(\ce{[SnBr6]^2-}\) Hexabromidostannate(IV) Br[Sn-2](Br)(Br)(Br)(Br)Br
  • 6.10 All four species are octahedral. The assignments are to pairs of peaks, without a unique assignment within either pair:

    Peak pair / ppm Isomer Isomer-specific SMILES
    \(-1092,\,-1115\) cis-Dibromidotetrachloridostannate(IV), \(\ce{[SnCl4Br2]^2-}\) Br[Sn@OH1-2](Br)(Cl)(Cl)(Cl)Cl
    \(-1092,\,-1115\) trans-Dibromidotetrachloridostannate(IV), \(\ce{[SnCl4Br2]^2-}\) Br[Sn@OH1-2](Cl)(Cl)(Cl)(Cl)Br
    \(-1322,\,-1336\) fac-Tribromidotrichloridostannate(IV), \(\ce{[SnCl3Br3]^2-}\) Br[Sn@OH1-2](Br)(Br)(Cl)(Cl)Cl
    \(-1322,\,-1336\) mer-Tribromidotrichloridostannate(IV), \(\ce{[SnCl3Br3]^2-}\) Br[Sn@OH1-2](Br)(Cl)(Cl)(Cl)Br

Solution

The auxiliary ions used below are chloride, \(\ce{Cl^-}\), [Cl-], and bromide, \(\ce{Br^-}\), [Br-]. Tetrabutylammonium, \(\ce{[N(C4H9)4]^+}\), CCCC[N+](CCCC)(CCCC)CCCC, supplies the counterions. Tetramethyltin, \(\ce{Sn(CH3)4}\), C[Sn](C)(C)C, is the NMR reference.

6.1

The two requested drawings can be described as follows:

  • Tetrahedral: put Sn at the centre of a regular tetrahedron, with one Cl at each vertex. All \(\ce{Cl-Sn-Cl}\) angles are approximately \(109.5^\circ\).
  • Square planar: put Sn at the centre of a square and the four Cl atoms at its vertices. All five atoms lie in one plane; adjacent bond angles are \(90^\circ\), and opposite ones are \(180^\circ\).

These are alternative arrangements for coordination number four. Tetrahedral is the usual geometry of molecular tin(IV) chloride.

6.2

For five ligands, three alternatives are:

  • Trigonal bipyramidal: three equatorial Cl atoms surround Sn in a plane at \(120^\circ\) intervals. Two axial Cl atoms lie above and below that plane, with an axial–axial angle of \(180^\circ\) and axial–equatorial angles of \(90^\circ\).
  • Square pyramidal: four Cl atoms form a square around Sn in a basal plane; the fifth lies on the perpendicular axis above Sn.
  • Pentagonal planar: all five Cl atoms and Sn lie in one plane, with Cl at the vertices of a regular pentagon centred on Sn. Adjacent bond directions differ by \(72^\circ\).

6.3

The Lewis acid–base reaction is

\[ \ce{SnCl4 + Cl^- -> [SnCl5]^-}. \]

The ion has

\[ 4+5(7)+1=40 \]

valence electrons. Giving each terminal chlorine three lone pairs uses \(30\) electrons, leaving \(10\) electrons in five Sn–Cl bonds. Thus the central atom has five bonding pairs and no lone pair, giving the VSEPR designation \(\mathrm{AX_5}\).

The preferred geometry is trigonal bipyramidal. It has six ligand-pair angles of \(90^\circ\), three of \(120^\circ\), and one of \(180^\circ\). A square pyramid has eight \(90^\circ\) pairwise angles, while a planar pentagon introduces \(72^\circ\) separations. The trigonal bipyramid therefore gives the preferred distribution of the five bonding domains.

6.4

Three six-coordinate arrangements are:

  • Octahedral: place the ligands along the six directions \(+x,-x,+y,-y,+z,-z\), with Sn at the origin.
  • Trigonal prismatic: place three Cl atoms at the vertices of an equilateral triangle above Sn and three at the vertices of an aligned, parallel triangle below it. Corresponding vertices lie directly above one another.
  • Hexagonal planar: place all six Cl atoms at the vertices of a regular hexagon, with Sn at its centre in the same plane.

6.5

The overall addition reaction is

\[ \ce{SnCl4 + 2Cl^- -> [SnCl6]^2-}. \]

The total number of valence electrons is

\[ 4+6(7)+2=48. \]

The chlorine lone pairs account for \(36\) electrons, leaving \(12\) electrons in six bonds. Thus the central atom has six bonding domains and no lone pair: \(\mathrm{AX_6}\).

VSEPR predicts an octahedral arrangement. Every pair of bond directions is separated by either \(90^\circ\) or \(180^\circ\). The alternative arrangements introduce smaller separations, including \(60^\circ\) in the planar hexagon.

6.6

Use the given isotope mass numbers as nominal masses in atomic mass units, \(\mathrm{u}\). The numerical \(m/z\) equals the ion’s mass in \(\mathrm{u}\) divided by the magnitude of its charge in elementary-charge units.

For a mononuclear tin(IV) complex containing \(n\) chloride ligands, charge balance gives \(z=4-n\). For an anion,

\[ \frac{120+35n}{n-4}=295. \]

Therefore,

\[ 120+35n=295n-1180 \quad\Longrightarrow\quad n=5,\qquad z=-1. \]

The detected species is pentachloridostannate(IV):

\[ \ce{[SnCl5]^-},\qquad m=\bigl(120+5\times35\bigr)\mathrm{u}=295\,\mathrm{u}, \qquad m/z=295. \]

For comparison, the intact six-coordinate dianion would give

\[ m/z=\frac{120+6(35)}{2}=165, \]

which does not match the observed peak.

A balanced ion transformation consistent with the observation is

\[ \ce{[SnCl6]^2- -> [SnCl5]^- + Cl^-}. \]

This establishes the appropriate composition and charge without requiring a detailed electrospray mechanism.

6.7

Applying the same charge balance to a bromide complex,

\[ \frac{120+79n}{n-4}=515. \]

Hence,

\[ 120+79n=515n-2060 \quad\Longrightarrow\quad n=5,\qquad z=-1. \]

Thus the detected ion is pentabromidostannate(IV):

\[ \ce{[SnBr5]^-},\qquad m=\bigl(120+5\times79\bigr)\mathrm{u}=515\,\mathrm{u}, \qquad m/z=515. \]

The intact dianion would instead give

\[ m/z=\frac{120+6(79)}{2}=297. \]

The corresponding balanced transformation is

\[ \ce{[SnBr6]^2- -> [SnBr5]^- + Br^-}. \]

6.8

The mixed five-coordinate ions have compositions

\[ \ce{[SnCl_{5-n}Br_n]^-},\qquad n=0,1,\ldots,5. \]

Replacing one chlorine isotope by one bromine isotope increases the nominal mass by

\[ 79\,\mathrm{u}-35\,\mathrm{u}=44\,\mathrm{u}. \]

Consequently,

\[ \frac{m}{\mathrm{u}} =120+35(5-n)+79n =295+44n. \]

All these ions have charge \(-1\), giving:

Number of Br ligands, \(n\) \(m/z\) Composition
0 295 \(\ce{[SnCl5]^-}\)
1 339 \(\ce{[SnCl4Br]^-}\)
2 383 \(\ce{[SnCl3Br2]^-}\)
3 427 \(\ce{[SnCl2Br3]^-}\)
4 471 \(\ce{[SnClBr4]^-}\)
5 515 \(\ce{[SnBr5]^-}\)

The four interior peaks therefore correspond to the four mixed-halide ions listed in Answers 6.8.

6.9

NMR observes the six-coordinate complexes present in solution. Halide redistribution produces the seven possible compositions

\[ \ce{[SnCl_{6-n}Br_n]^2-},\qquad n=0,1,\ldots,6. \]

For example, a balanced redistribution is

\[ \ce{[SnCl6]^2- + [SnBr6]^2- <=> [SnCl5Br]^2- + [SnClBr5]^2-}. \]

The all-chloride endpoint is at \(-732\) ppm. Figure 2 places the all-bromide endpoint at approximately \(-2064\) ppm. The progression of intervening resonances is assigned to successive replacement of Cl by Br, giving the left-to-right assignments in Answers 6.9.

At \(60~^\circ\mathrm{C}\), geometrical isomers of a given composition interconvert sufficiently rapidly to give an averaged resonance for that composition. Cooling slows their interconversion and resolves additional signals.

The expected number of distinct octahedral geometrical isomers is:

Number of Br ligands Geometrical possibilities Number of signals when resolved
0 One arrangement 1
1 One arrangement 1
2 cis, trans 2
3 fac, mer 2
4 cis, trans, classified by the two Cl ligands 2
5 One arrangement 1
6 One arrangement 1
Total 10

Thus the observed change from seven to ten peaks is consistent with resolution of the geometrical isomers of the compositions containing two, three, and four bromide ligands.

6.10

The pair at \(-1092\) and \(-1115\) ppm belongs to the composition \(\ce{[SnCl4Br2]^2-}\), whose two geometrical isomers are cis and trans.

The pair at \(-1322\) and \(-1336\) ppm belongs to \(\ce{[SnCl3Br3]^2-}\), whose two geometrical isomers are fac and mer.

For precise drawings, place Sn at the origin and the six ligand sites along \(+x,-x,+y,-y,+z,-z\). Occupy the sites as follows; every site not occupied by Br is occupied by Cl.

Isomer Br positions Geometrical description
cis-\(\ce{[SnCl4Br2]^2-}\) \(+z,+x\) The two Br ligands are adjacent; \(\ce{Br-Sn-Br}=90^\circ\).
trans-\(\ce{[SnCl4Br2]^2-}\) \(+z,-z\) The two Br ligands are opposite; \(\ce{Br-Sn-Br}=180^\circ\).
fac-\(\ce{[SnCl3Br3]^2-}\) \(+z,+x,+y\) The three Br ligands occupy one triangular face. Every Br–Sn–Br angle is \(90^\circ\).
mer-\(\ce{[SnCl3Br3]^2-}\) \(+z,-z,+x\) Two Br ligands are opposite. All three Br ligands lie in a plane through Sn; their pairwise angles are \(180^\circ,90^\circ,90^\circ\).

The supplied information identifies these two isomer pairs. It does not uniquely determine which individual resonance in each pair belongs to which isomer. Relative peak heights alone cannot establish that assignment without additional assumptions about populations and NMR response.

The solution was checked against the official solution.