Organic-inorganic hybrid hexa-chlorido-stannate(IV) with 2-methyl-imidazo[1,5- a ]pyridin-2-ium cation.

The hybrid salt bis-(2-methyl-imidazo[1,5- a ]pyridin-2-ium) hexa-chlorido-stannate(IV), (C 8 H 9 N 2 ) 2 [SnCl 6 ], crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P 2 1 / n with the asymmetric unit containing an Sn 0.5 Cl 3 fragment (Sn site symmetry ) and one organic cation. The five- and six-membered rings in the cation are nearly coplanar; bond lengths in the pyridinium ring of the fused core are as expected; the C-N/C bond distances in the imidazolium entity fall in the range 1.337 (5)-1.401 (5) Å. The octa-hedral SnCl 6 2- dianion is almost undistorted with the Sn-Cl distances varying from 2.4255 (9) to 2.4881 (8) Å and the cis Cl-Sn-Cl angles approaching 90°. In the crystal, π-stacked chains of cations and loosely packed SnCl 6 2- dianions form separate sheets alternating parallel to (101). Most of the numerous C-H⋯Cl-Sn contacts between the organic and inorganic counterparts with the H⋯Cl distances above the van der Waals contact limit of 2.85 Å are considered a result of crystal packing.