Reactions of Organic Disulfides and Gold(I) Complexes

Gold-thiolate/disulfide exchange reactions of (p-SC(6)H(4)Cl)(2) with Ph(3)PAu(SC(6)H(4)CH(3)), dppm(AuSC(6)H(4)CH(3))(2), and dppe(AuSC(6)H(4)CH(3)) (2) were investigated. The rate of reactivity of the gold-thiolate complexes with (p-SC(6)H(4)Cl)(2) is: dppm(AuSC(6)H(4)CH(3))(2)>> dppe(AuSC(6)H(4)CH(3))(2)>Ph(2)PAu (SC(6)H(4)CH(3)). This order correlates with conductivity measurements and two ionic mechanisms have been evaluated. (1)H NMR experiments demonstrate that in the reaction of dppm(AuSC(6)H(4)CH(3))(2) with (p-SC(6)H(4)Cl)(2), the mixed disulfide, ClC(6)H(4)SSC(6)H(4)CH(3), forms first, followed by the formation of (p-SC(6)H(4)CH(3))(2). The rate law is first order in (pp-SC(6)H (4)Cl)(2) and partial order in dppm(AuSC(6)H(4)CH(3))(2). Results from electrochemical and chemical reactivity studies suggest that free thiolate is not involved in the gold-thiolate/disulfide exchange reaction. A more likely source of ions is the dissociation of a proton from the methylene backbone of the dppm ligand which has been shown to exchange with D(2)O. The implications of this are discussed in terms of a possible mechanism for the gold-thiolate/disulfide exchange reaction.