Chloro(dimethyl sulfide)gold(I) is a

coordination complex A coordination complex consists of a central atom or ion, which is usually metallic and is called the ''coordination centre'', and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions, that are in turn known as '' ligands'' or complexing agents. ...

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

. It is a white solid. This compound is a common entry point into gold chemistry.

Structure

As for many other gold(I) complexes, the compound adopts a nearly linear (176.9°) geometry about the central gold atom. The Au-S bond distance is 2.271(2) Å, which is similar to other gold(I)-sulfur bonds.

Preparation

Chloro(dimethyl sulfide)gold(I) is commercially available. It may be prepared by dissolving gold in aqua regia (to give

chloroauric acid Chloroauric acid is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It forms hydrates . Both the trihydrate and tetrahydrate are known. Both are orange-yellow solids consisting of the planar anion. Often chloroauric acid is handled as a soluti ...

), followed by addition of dimethyl sulfide. Alternatively,

sodium tetrachloroaurate Sodium tetrachloroaurate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula NaAuCl4. It is composed of the ions Na+ and AuCl4−. It exists in the anhydrous and dihydrate states. At room temperature, it exists as a golden-orange solid. The anhydr ...

may be used as the source of gold(III). The bromo analog, Me₂SAuBr, has also been synthesized by a similar route. An approximate equation is: :HAuCl₄ + 2 SMe₂ + H₂O → Me₂SAuCl + 3 HCl + OSMe₂ A simple preparation starts from elemental gold in DMSO / conc HCl (1:2) where DMSO acts as an oxidant and the formed Me₂S as ligand. As a side product, HAuCl₄·2DMSO is formed.

Reactions

In chloro(dimethyl sulfide)gold(I), the dimethyl sulfide ligand is easily displaced by other ligands: :Me₂SAuCl + L → LAuCl + Me₂S (L = ligand) Since Me₂S is volatile, the new complex LAuCl is often easily purified. When exposed to light, heat, or air, the compound decomposes to elemental gold.

References

{{Gold compounds Gold(I) compounds Chlorides Organosulfur compounds Chloro complexes Gold–halogen compounds Gold–sulfur compounds