Crystal structure of catena-poly[[di-iodidomer-cury(II)]-μ-2,2'-di-thio-bis-(pyridine N-oxide)-κ2O:O'].

The title compound, [HgI2(C10H8N2O2S2)] n , a one-dimensional coordination polymer with HgI2 units and 2,2'-di-thio-bis-(pyridine N-oxide) spacer ligands in an alternating fashion, forms helical chains running along the b axis in the crystal. Within a single coordination polymer strand, the axially chiral 2,2'-di-thio-bis-(pyridine N-oxide) ligands are homochiral, but the enanti-omeric conformation is present in adjacent strands. Within a coordination polymer strand, the iodido ligands point towards the centroids of the aromatic rings of the pyridine N-oxide moieties in the coordination sphere of HgII. Moreover, intra-strand C-H⋯O and C-H⋯I inter-actions, and inter-strand short S⋯I and S⋯O contacts are observed.