Neutral '3+1' mixed-ligand oxorhenium(V) complexes with tridentate [S,N,S] chelates and aminoalkanethiols: synthesis, characterization and structure determination

'3+1' Oxorhenium(v) complexes [ReO(SN(R')S)(SR)] (R' = Me, Et, Pr or Bu; SR = aminoalkane thiolate) have been synthesized by ligand exchange at trans-trichloromonooxo-bis(triphenylphosphine)rhenium(v) with a mixture of HSN(R')SH and RSH in alkaline methanolic solution. The complexes were purified by column chromatography and characterized by elemental analysis, mass and IR spectroscopy and for selected compounds by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The structures of those complexes have been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis and revealed a change in the co-ordination geometry from square pyramidal to trigonal bipyramidal, depending on the chelating (SN(R')S) moiety. The alkyl group (R') was found to be arranged "syn" to the oxorhenium group.