Solubilizing sodium fluoride in acetonitrile: synthesis, molecular structure, and complexation behavior of bis(organostannyl)methyl-substituted crown ethers.

The synthesis of the crown-ether-substituted bis(organostannyl)methanes Ph(3)SnCH(2)Sn(Ph(2))-CH(2)-[16]crown-5 (1) and Ph(2)ISnCH(2)Sn(I)(Ph)-CH(2)-[16]crown-5 (2) is reported. Both compounds have been characterized by elemental analyses, (1)H, (13)C, (19)F, and (119)Sn NMR spectroscopy, and in the case of compound 2 also by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed for the aqua complex 2.H(2)O trigonal-bipyramidal-configured tin atoms with intramolecular Sn(1)-O(1) and Sn(2)-O(1W) distances of 2.555(2) and 2.440(3) A, respectively. The water molecule is trapped in a sandwich-like fashion between the crown ether oxygen atoms O(2) and O(4) and the Sn(2) atom. NMR spectroscopy unambiguously proved the ability of compound 2 in acetonitrile to overcome the high lattice energy of sodium fluoride and to complex the latter under charge separation.