Crystal structures of an imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium-based ligand and its (C13H12N3)2[CdI4] hybrid salt.

The monocation product of the oxidative condensation-cyclization between two mol-ecules of pyridine-2-carbaldehyde and one mol-ecule of CH3NH2·HCl in methanol, 2-methyl-3-(pyridin-2-yl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium, was isolated in the presence of metal ions as bis-[2-methyl-3-(pyridin-2-yl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-ium] tetra-iodo-cadmate, (C13H12N3)2[CdI4], (I), and the mixed chloride/nitrate salt, bis-[2-methyl-3-(pyridin-2-yl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-ium] 1.5-chlor-ide 0.5-nitrate trihydrate, 2C13H12N3 +·1.5Cl-·0.5NO3 -·3H2O, (II). Hybrid salt (I) crystallizes in the space group P21/n with two [L]2[CdI4] mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit related by pseudosymmetry. In the crystal of (I), layers of organic cations and of tetra-halometallate anions are stacked parallel to the ab plane. Anti-parallel L + cations disposed in a herring-bone pattern form π-bonded chains through aromatic stacking. In the inorganic layer, adjacent tetra-hedral CdI4 units have no connectivity but demonstrate close packing of iodide anions. In the crystal lattice of (II), the cations are arranged in stacks propagating along the a axis; the one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded polymer built of chloride ions and water mol-ecules runs parallel to a column of stacked cations.