Adducts of Titanium Tetrachloride with Alkylselenium Compounds: Molecular Precursors to Titanium Diselenide Films.

Treatment of titanium tetrachloride (2 equiv) with dimethyl diselenide or diethyl diselenide (1 equiv) in hexane at 0 degrees C, followed by crystallization at -20 degrees C, afforded (TiCl(4))(2)(Se(2)(CH(3))(2)) (78%) and (TiCl(4))(2)(Se(2)(CH(2)CH(3))(2)) (63%), respectively, as red and orange crystalline solids. (TiCl(4))(2)(Se(2)(CH(2)CH(3))(2)) is stable in solution and in the solid state at 23 degrees C, but (TiCl(4))(2)(Se(2)(CH(3))(2)) decomposes to TiCl(4)(Se(CH(3))(2))(2), gray selenium, and other products upon standing in hexane solution, in the solid state, or upon sublimation at 250 degrees C. Treatment of titanium tetrachloride with 2 equiv of dimethyl selenide or diethyl selenide in hexane at ambient temperature afforded a spectroscopically pure brick red solid of TiCl(4)(Se(CH(3))(2))(2) (96%) or TiCl(4)(Se(CH(2)CH(3))(2))(2) (96%), respectively.