The phenylselenolate mercury alkyl compounds, PhSeHgMe and PhSeHgEt, have been
structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction, thereby demonstrating that both compounds
are monomeric with approximately linear coordination geometries; the mercury centers do,
nevertheless, exhibit secondary Hg•••Se intermolecular
interactions that serve to increase the coordination number in the solid state. The ethyl
derivative, PhSeHgEt, undergoes facile protolytic cleavage of the Hg–C bond to
release ethane at room temperature, whereas PhSeHgMe exhibits little reactivity under
similar conditions. Interestingly, the cleavage of the Hg–C bond of PhSeHgEt is
also more facile than that of the thiolate analogue, PhSHgEt, which demonstrates that
coordination by selenium promotes protolytic cleavage of the mercury-carbon bond. The
phenylselenolate compounds PhSeHgR (R = Me, Et) also undergo degenerate exchange
reactions with, for example, PhSHgR and RHgCl. In each case, the alkyl groups preserve
coupling to the 199Hg nuclei, thereby indicating that the exchange process
involves metathesis of the Hg–SePh/Hg–X groups rather than metathesis of
the Hg–R/Hg–R groups.