Synthesis and structure of a dinuclear gold(II) complex with terminal fluoride ligands

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ic200394q

The potential for reductive elimination of fluorine from dinuclear gold(II) for catalysis has prompted our efforts to synthesize a dinuclear gold(II) fluoride complex. This has been achieved with bis(2,6-dimethylphenyl) formamidinate bridging ligands. In order to obtain this product, it was necessary first to synthesize the corresponding dinuclear gold(II) nitrate, which reacts readily with KF in a metathesis reaction. The nitrate complex and fluoride complexes have been structurally characterized. The Au-Au distance in the dinuclear fluoride, 2.595 A, is longer than the distance found in the analogous chloride complex, 2.567 A. This result is consistent with the presence of a fluoride "π electron effect" on the filled Au 5d orbitals. The Raman spectrum shows an Au-Au stretch at 206 cm^-1, which agrees with Woodruffs rules and the density functional theory computational model used for modeling the complex.