Crystal structure of an HgIIcoordination polymer with an unsymmetrical dipyridyl ligand:catena-poly[[[dichloridomercury(II)]-μ-N-(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)pyridin-3-amine-κ2N:N′] chloroform hemisolvate]

Abstract

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, {[HgLCl2]·0.5CHCl3}n(L=N-(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)pyridin-3-amine, C11H11N3), contains one HgIIion, one bridgingLligand, two chloride ligands and a chloroform solvent molecule with half-occupancy that is disordered about a crystallographic twofold rotation axis. Each HgIIion is coordinated by two pyridine N atoms from two symmetry-relatedLligands and two chloride anions in a highly distorted tetrahedral geometry with bond angles falling in the range 99.05 (17)–142.96 (7)°. EachLligand bridges two HgIIions, forming polymeric zigzag chains propagating in [010]. In the crystal, the chains are linked by intermolecular N/C—H...Cl hydrogen bonds together with weak C—H...π interactions, resulting in the formation of a three-dimensional supramolecular network, which is further stabilized by C—Cl...π interactions between the solvent chloroform molecules and the pyridine rings ofL[chloride-to-centroid distances = 3.442 (11) and 3.626 (13) Å]. In addition, weak Cl...Cl contacts [3.320 (5) Å] between the chloroform solvent molecules and the coordinating chloride anions are also observed.