The crystal structure of diethylene tetraxanthogen, the oxidation product of the diethylene dixanthate ion
The structure of the oxidation product of the diethylene dixanthate anion, diethylene tetraxanthogen (Cl12H1606S8), has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The crystals are tetragonal of space group Z41/acd with a 15.798(1), c 17.755(1) �, containing eight molecules per unit cell. The structure was solved using conventional Patterson and Fourier methods and refined by a full-matrix least-squares method to R 0.055 for the 817 independent statistically significant reflections collected by counter methods. The crystals are composed of discrete molecules held together by van der Waals forces. Each molecule, situated about a site of symmetry 222, has the novel 22-membered ring structure involving disulphide bonds of length 2.035(2) �. The planarity of the dithiocarbonate moiety and the relatively short carbon-to-oxygen and carbon-to-sulphur bond lengths correlate with extensive π-electron delocalization over the group.