Silver(I) aryloxide-triphenylphosphine complexes. An assessment of their potential as CVD precursors and the structure of [Ag(OC6H4Me-2)(PPh3)(3)]center dot 2-MeC6H4OH center dot C6H5Me

The silver aryloxide-triphenylphoshine complexes [Ag(OR)(PPh3)(2)] (R = C6H2Cl3-2,4,6 (1), C6H4Me-2 (2) or C6H2(CH2NMe2)(3)-2,4,6 (3)) and [Ag(OR)(PPh3)(3)].ROH (R = Ph (4) or C6H4Me-2 (5)) have been prepared and characterised. Complexes 1, 3 and 5 were tested as precursors for the growth of silver films on glass substrates using an aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition method. Although films were produced, they were of poor quality compared to those produced from other silver complexes as precursors. A crystal structure determination of 5 as a toluene solvate shows the o-cresolato ligand to be monodentate and together with the triphenylphosphine ligands generates a distorted tetrahedral array around the silver. The additional o-cresol molecule is hydrogen-bonded to the o-cresolato oxygen atom and not directly bonded to silver. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.