Concerning the Structure of Trimethyltin Fluoride

Abstract The structure and the nature of the bonds in trimethyltin fluoride are discussed on the basis of the infrared and the Raman spectra with reference to the results of the X-ray diffraction study by Clark et al. and a few additional X-ray data obtained on the fluoride and related trimethyltin compounds. The most reasonable structure is one in which the planar trimethyltin group is bridged by the fluorine atom forming a non-linear unsymmetrical Sn-F…Sn bond. The distorted bipyramidal configuration around the tin atom can be explained in terms of involvement of the d-orbitals of the tin atom in the bonding.