Periodic trends within a series of five-coordinate thiolate-ligated [MII(SMe2N4(tren))]+ (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) complexes, including a rare example of a stable CuII-thiolate.

A series of five-coordinate thiolate-ligated complexes [M(II)(tren)N4S(Me2)]+ (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn; tren = tris(2-aminoethyl)amine) are reported, and their structural, electronic, and magnetic properties are compared. Isolation of dimeric [Ni(II)(SN4(tren)-RS(dang))]2 ("dang"= dangling, uncoordinated thiolate supported by H bonds), using the less bulky [(tren)N4S](1-) ligand, pointed to the need for gem-dimethyls adjacent to the sulfur to sterically prevent dimerization. All of the gem-dimethyl derivatized complexes are monomeric and, with the exception of [Ni(II)(S(Me2)N4(tren)]+, are isostructural and adopt a tetragonally distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry favored by ligand constraints.