Crystal and Molecular Structure of (2,2'-Bipyridyl)methylmercury(II) Nitrate, a Complex with Irregular Three-co-ordination

Crystals of the title compound are triclinic, with a = 10.299(5), b = 9.289(5), c = 6.841(4) A, alpha = 88.98(4), beta = 105.57(5), gamma = 84.81 (4). Z = 2, and space group P1 bar. The structure was solved by conventional Patterson and Fourier methods and refined by least-squares techniques to R 0.061 for 1325 reflections collected by diffractometer. The complex has a planar CHgNN' group with unsymmetrically chelated 2,2'-bipyridyl and three-co-ordinate mercury: Hg-C 2.07(5), Hg-N 2.24(3), and Hg-N'2.43(3) A: C-Hg-N 164(1), C-Hg-N'126(1), and N-Hg-N' (chelate angle) 69(1). The nitrate ion is regular and unco-ordinated.