The Chemistry of Cadmium–Thiocarboxylate Derivatives: Synthesis, Structural Features, and Application As Single Source Precursors for Ternary Sulfides

Novel heterobimetallic complexes [(PPh3)2Cu(μ-SCOPh)2Cd(SCOPh)] (2a), [(PPh3)2Cu(μ-SCOth)2Cd(SCOth)] (2b), [(PPh3)2Ag(μ-SCOth)2Cd(SCOth)] (3a), [(PPh3)2Ag(μ-SCOth)2Cd(H2O)(SCOth)] (3b), [(PPh3)2Ag(μ-SCOPh)2Cd(SCOPh)] (3c), and a bimetallic complex [PPh3Cd(μ-SCOth)SCOth]2·CH2Cl2 (5) (th = thiophene) were prepared and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. A coordination polymer [Cd(SCOPh)2]n (4) has also been characterized structurally that exhibited metal-like electrical conductivity. The heterobimetallic complexes on pyrolyzing under controlled conditions yielded ternary sulfides of composition CuCd7S8, CuCd10S11, Ag2Cd8S9, and Ag2Cd5S6, which have been characterized by SEM-EDX and X-ray diffractometry. Photophysical properties and electrical conductivities of the sulfides have also been studied.