Synthesis of Hexabutylditin from Tributyltin Hydride and bis(Tributyltin)oxide

Abstract

Heating a mixture of tributyltin hydride (>2 mol equiv.) and bis(tributyltin)oxide cleanly produces hexabutylditin in excellent yield.

Keywords:

• Hexabutylditin
• bis(Tributyltin)oxide
• Thermal reaction
• Bu₃SnH
• Bu₃SnOSnBu₃

Acknowledgment

We thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for financial support.

Notes

^aWe attempted to prepare Bu₃SnSnBu₃ as described in Ref.6 but observed inconsistent results. In our hands, prolonged treatment of Bu₃SnOSnBu₃ with NaBH₄ in ethanol usually gave mixtures of Bu₃SnSnBu₃ and Bu₃SnH. Very occasionally (twice in about 50 attempts), Bu₃SnSnBu₃ was the major (>85%) product formed.

^bAn old commercial sample of Bu₃SnH was found to contain no Bu₃SnH but only a mixture of Bu₃SnSnBu₃ and Bu₃SnOSnBu₃ (an oxidation product), suggesting that this dimerization may occur even at ambient temperatures.