Metal-metal bond or isolated metal centers?: Interaction of Hg(CN)2 with square planar transition metal cyanides

Three adducts have been prepared from Hg(CN)(2) and square planar M-II(CN)(4)(2-) transition metal cyanides (M = Pt, Pd, or Ni, with d(8) electron shell) as solids. The structure of the compounds K2PtHg(CN)(6)center dot 2H(2)O (1), Na2PdHg(CN)(6)center dot 2H(2)O (2), and K2NiHg(CN)(6)center dot 2H(2)O (3) have been studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, and luminescence spectroscopy in the solid state. The structure of K2PtHg(CN)(6)center dot 2H(2)O consists of one-dimensional wires. No CN- bridges occur between the heterometallic centers. The wires are strictly linear, and the Pt(II) and Hg(II) centers alternate. The distance d(Hg-Pt) is relatively short, 3.460 angstrom. Time-resolved luminescence spectra indicate that Hg(CN)2 units incorporated into the structure act as electron traps and shorten the lifetime of both the short-lived and longer-lived exited states in 1 compared to K-2[Pt(CN)(4)]center dot 2H(2)O. The structures of Na2PdHg(CN)(6)center dot 2H(2)O and K2NiHg(CN)(6)center dot 2H(2)O can be considered as double salts; the lack of heterometallophilic interaction between the remote Hg(II) and Pd(II) atoms, d(Hg-Pd) = 4.92 angstrom, and Hg(II) and Ni(II) atoms, d(Hg-Ni) = 4.61 angstrom, is apparent. Electron binding energy values of the metallic centers measured by XPS show that there is no electron transfer between the metal ions in the three adducts. In solution, experimental findings clearly indicate the lack of metal-metal bond formation in all studied Hg-II-CN--M-II(CN)(4)(2-) systems (M = Pt, Pd, or Ni).