Photoinduced Reactivity of the Soft Hydrotris(6-tert-butyl-3-thiopyridazinyl)borate Scorpionate Ligand in Sodium, Potassium, and Thallium Salts.

The soft scorpionate ligand hydrotris(6-tert-butyl-3-thiopyridazinyl)borate (Tn) was found to exhibit pronounced photoreactivity. Full elucidation of this process revealed the formation of 6-tert-butylpyridazine-3-thione (PnH) and 4,5-dihydro-6-tert-butylpyridazine-3-thione (H2PnH). Under exclusion of light, no solvolytic reactions occur, allowing the development of high-yield preparation protocols for the sodium, potassium, and thallium salts and improving the yield for their derived copper boratrane complex. The photoreactivity is relevant for all future studies with electron-deficient scorpionate ligands.