Neutral Chalcogenide Tungsten Cluster with Tris(2-Cyanoethyl)phosphine

Despite the great prospects for the use of octahedral metal cluster complexes in various fields, chalcogenide tungsten compounds with functional organic ligands have practically not been studied. In this work, we present the synthesis and detailed characterization of a tungsten cluster with tris(2-cyanoethyl)phosphine [{W₆S₈}(P(C₂H₄CN)₃)₆]. The compound has been obtained directly from (Bu₄N)₂[{W₆Cl₈}Cl₆] in one step with a good yield. The crystal structure, determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, as well as multinuclear NMR analysis have well confirmed the formation of the chalcogenide neutral cluster. Moreover, the electrochemical properties of the complex have been studied.