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Introduction of hydrogen bonding (HB) interactions in single component conductors derived from nickel and gold bis(dithiolene) complexes is explored with the 2-alkylthio-1,3-thiazole-4,5-dithiolate (RS-tzdt) with R = CH2CH2OH through the preparation of the neutral [Ni(HOEtS-tzdt)2]0 (closed-shell) and [Au(HOEtS-tzdt)2]˙ (radical) complexes. At variance with many other radical gold dithiolene complexes which have a strong tendency to dimerize in the solid state, [Au(HOEtS-tzdt)2]˙ crystallizes into uniform stacks interconnected by strong O–H⋯N HB involving the nitrogen atom of the thiazole ring. [Au(HOEtS-tzdt)2]˙ is isostructural with its neutral, closed-shell nickel analog [Ni(HOEtS-tzdt)2]0, a rare situation in this metal bis(dithiolene) chemistry. It demonstrates how the strength of the HB directing motif can control the overall structural arrangement to stabilize the same structure despite a different electron count. The nickel complex behaves as a band semiconductor with weak room temperature conductivity (1.6 × 10−5 S cm−1), while the gold complex is described as a Mott insulator with a three orders of magnitude improved conductivity (6 × 10−2 S cm−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutral nickel bis(dithiolene) complexes, because of their closed-shell character, are usually considered as insulating materials, unless they are formed out of highly delocalized tetrathiafulvalenedithiolate ligands. We describe here an original series of S-alkyl substituted neutral bis(thiazole-4,5-dithiolate) nickel complexes formulated as [Ni(RS-tzdt)2] (R = Me, Et), which organize in the solid state into uniform stacks and exhibit semiconducting behavior, with room temperature conductivities comparable to those reported in the prototypical [Ni(dmit)2] and [Ni(Et-thiazdt)2] neutral complexes. These findings provide new perspectives in the current search for single component molecular conductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of a side product of the aerial dithiolene oxidation allowed the rational and efficient synthesis of a sulfur rich electron acceptor, (E)-3,3′-diethyl-5,5′-bithiazolidinylidene-2,4,2′,4′-tetrathione, that presents easily accessible redox states and forms with decamethylferrocene a charge transfer salt exhibiting ferromagnetic coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]