Silver acetate-triphenylphosphine complexes. Acetatobis(triphenylphosphine)silver(I) and its sesquihydrate, and bis[acetato(triphenylphosphine)silver(I)] hydrate and its hemihydrate

The Ag atom in both independent molecules of acetatobis(triphenylphosphine)silver(I), [Ag(C2H3O2)(C18H15P)(2)], is bonded to the triphenylphospine and chelating acetato ligands in a distorted tetrahedral environment. Acetatobis(triphenylphosphine)silver(I) sesquihydrate, [Ag(C2H3O2)(C18H15P)(2)]1.5H(2)O, also crystallizes as two independent molecules, the Ag atoms of which adopt a similar geometry. One [Ag(C2H3O2)(C18H15P)(2)] molecule is linked through a water molecule to another complex molecule, which in turn is linked to the symmetry-related first molecule through the other two water molecules, one of which is disordered, affording a chain structure parallel to the b axis. Bis(mu-acetato)-O,O':O;O:O-bis[(triphenylphosphine) silver(I)] hydrate, [Ag-2(C2H3O2)(2)(C18H15P)(2)]H2O, comprises two [Ag(C2H3O2)(C18H15P)] moieties; the acetato ligand behaves as a bidentate chelating anion in one complex moiety but as a monodentate anion in the other. The two moieties link through the singly bonded ester O atom into a dinuclear entity. Neighboring dinuclear entities are linked by hydrogen bonds involving their doubly-bonded carboxyl ends with the disordered water molecule to form a zigzag chain along the c axis. In bis(mu-acetato-O:O)bis[(triphenylphosphine)silver(I)] hemihydrate, [Ag-2(C2H3O2)2(C18H15P)(2)].0.5H(2)O, the two Ag-O-carboxyl distances are long enough for the geometry of the Ag atoms to be regarded as being essentially trigonal planar in the two complex units. The dinuclear molecule uses its doubly-bonded O atoms to link with the disordered water molecule to afford a hydrogen-bonded tetranuclear entity.