Thiosulfate coordination

By 2006-09-01T00:00:00

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Put your questions on chemistry teaching to our experts

From Steve Lewis, head of chemistry, Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. 

For years the [Ag(S2 O3)2]3- di-thiosulfate argenate(I) complex has been on the AQA syllabus and for the first time in teaching this topic a student asked me how the ligand is coordinated: via S or O? We had an interesting discussion about which they thought was more likely and why and I said I'd look it up for them - but with no luck in various textbooks. The nearest I got was a websearch that threw up some very obscure and exotic transition metal thiosulfate complexes (not to silver) which were via a :S=SO32- lone pair. Can you shed any light on how thiosulfate coordinates to Ag+ and why one way is preferred to the alternative?

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