Crystal structure of bis-(acetonyltri-phenyl-phospho-nium) tetra-chlorido-cobaltate(II)

Abstract

The complex title salt, (C21H20OP)2[CoCl4], is the reaction product of CoCl2 with acetonyltri-phenyl-phospho-nium chloride in aceto-nitrile. In the anion, the Co(II) atom exhibits a typical tetra-hedral environment, with Co-Cl distances ranging from 2.2721 (6) to 2.2901 (6) Å, and with Cl-Co-Cl angles ranging from 106.12 (2) to 112.24 (2)°. The two phospho-nium cations likewise show the expected tetra-hedral configuration, with P-C distances ranging from 1.785 (2) to 1.8059 (18) Å and C-P-C angles ranging from 106.98 (8) to 112.85 (15)°. The mol-ecules inter-act in the lattice mainly through Coulombic and van der Waals forces because there is no particular polarity to the charges carried by the cations or anion. In the crystal, the cations and anions are arranged in sheets parallel to (001).

Keywords: acetonyltri­phenyl­phospho­nium cation; alkyl­tri­phenyl­phospho­nium; crystal structure; tetra­chlorido­cobaltate dianion.