Organomercury alkoxides. Vibrational spectra and structure of MeHgOPh and PhHgOR (R=Ph, Me, Et)

The synthetic and structural chemistry of organomercury alkoxides and phenoxides is described. Studies of methylmercury phenoxide (MeHgOPh) and phenylmercury phenoxide (PhHgOPh) by osmometry and Raman spectroscopy in dichloromethane, and by infrared and Raman spectroscopy in the solid state, indicate monomeric structures in the solid state and solution with v(Hg-O) near 600 wavenumbers. The phenylmercury alkoxide complexes PhHgOR (R= Me, Et) are dimeric in the solid state with v(OHgO) modes in the region 500--430 wavenumbers.