Unstable intermediates. Part XLIII. Electron spin resonance spectra of sulphur and sulphur nitride radicals in strongly acidic media

Abstract

Possible structures for radicals formed from sulphur and sulphur nitrides in sulphuric acid, oleum, and antimony pentafluoride are deduced from their electron spin resonance spectra in the fluid and solid state. The form of the ³³S hyperfine tensor leads to the postulate that the sulphur radical is σ*, possibly of the form X₂S–SX₂⁺, where X is derived from the medium. The ¹⁴N tensor for the sulphur nitride radical is in accord with the formulation S₂N₂⁺, having a square-planar structure with an in-plane distortion.