Syntheses, characterization and X-ray structures of gold(III) complexes obtained by addition of bases to gold(III)(2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde)

Reaction of potassium tetrachloroaurate(III), KAuCl4, with 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde (2CHO-py) have been examined in protic HX (X = OH, OMe, OEt, OCH2CH2CH3, OCH2CH2CH2CH3, OCH2CF3) solvents. Compounds in which the pyridine ligand is N or N-O coordinated in a newly carbonyl hydrated or in semi- and acetal-forms, derived by addition of one or two hydroxylic molecules, have been isolated; these include dichloro[pyridine-2(α-hydroxymethanolato)]gold(III) (1), dichloro[pyridine-2(α-ethoxymethanolato)] gold(III) (2), dichloro[pyridine-2[α-(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxymethanolato)] gold(III) (3), trichloro(2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde dimethyl acetal)gold(III) (4), trichloro(2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde diethyl acetal)gold(III) (5), trichloro(2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde di-1-propyl acetal)gold(III) (6) and trichloro(2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde di-1-butyl acetal)gold(III) (7). The crystal and molecular structures of (2), (5) and (7) have been determined by X-ray methods. Compound (2) crystallizes in space group Pn...