The Isoelectronic Replacement of E = P + and Si in the Trinuclear Organotin−Oxo Clusters [Ph 2 E(OSn t Bu 2 ) 2 O· t Bu 2 Sn(OH) 2 ]

The trinuclear organotin−oxo cluster [Ph 2 P(OSn t Bu 2 ) 2 O· t Bu 2 Sn(OH) 2 ][O 3 SCF 3 ] ( 6 ), was prepared in good yield by the consecutive reaction of ( t Bu 2 SnO) 3 with F 3 CSO 3 H and Ph 2 PO 2 H, and adopts a common tricyclic ESn 3 O 3 X 2 structural motif with E = P; X = OH, similar to those found in the recently reported species [M(OSntBu 2 ) 2 O· t Bu 2 Sn(OH) 2 ] [M = Ph 2 Si ( 1 ), Me 2 Si ( 2 ), CO ( 3 ), MesB ( 4 )] and [Ph 2 Si(OSn t Bu 2 ) 2 O· t Bu 2 SnF 2 ] ( 5 ) where E = Si, C, B and X = OH, F. Compound 6 was characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, electrospray mass spectrometry and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. A natural population analysis (NPA) performed on the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level of theory for the molecular structures of the isoelectronic species [Ph 2 Si(OSn t Bu 2 ) 2 O· t Bu 2 Sn(OH) 2 ] ( 1 ) and [Ph 2 P(OSn t Bu 2 ) 2 O· t Bu 2 Sn(OH) 2 ] + ( 6a ) suggests that the positive charge of the latter is partially delocalised over the phenyl rings. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003)