Complexation of 1,4-Bis(phenylthio)butane on Mercury(II) Salts: Formation of Extended 2D Coordination Polymers

Two novel two‐dimensional (2D) coordination polymers of stoichiometry [{PhS(CH2)4SPh}Hg2X4]n (X = Cl, 2a; X = Br, 2b) have been prepared by treatment of HgX2 with PhS(CH2)4SPh 1, acting as bridging dithioether ligand. The extended 2D structures result from bridging coordination of 1 between two mercury atoms and intermolecular Hg–X interactions, thus linking the HgX2 units in two dimensions. As established for 2a,b by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, the coordination around the Hg centers in both isomorphous compounds (monoclinic, space group P21/c) is distorted tetrahedral, with quite short Hg‐thioether bonds of 2.4780(19) (2a) and 2.499(3) Å (2b), respectively.