Thermal decomposition study of mercurated hexa- and trifluoroacetylacetone

This work presents preparation and thermal characterization of three novel organomercurials: Hg2(CF3COCHCOCF3)2-mu2-(CF3COCCOCF3)mu2(CF3C(OH)2CH2C(OH)2CF3) (I), Hg2(CF3COCHCOCF3)2-mu2-(CF3COCCOCF3) (II) and Hg2(CH3COCHCOCF3)2-mu2-(CH3COCCOCF3) (III) which means that they contain at least one direct mercury-to-carbon bond among the carbonyl groups of beta-diketone molecules which are capable for chelating of metal ions. IR-spectra support the conclusion that mercury is most probably bound to the gamma-carbon of fluorinated derivatives of acetylacetone and is not chelated through oxygen in any of the isolated compounds.