Comparison of the crystal structures of the low- and high-temperature forms of bis[4-(dimethylamino)pyridine]dithiocyanatocobalt(II)

Abstract

Single crystals of the high-temperature form I of [Co(NCS)2(DMAP)2] (DMAP = 4-dimethylaminopyridine, C7H10N2) were obtained accidentally by the reaction of Co(NCS)2 with DMAP at slightly elevated temperatures under kinetic control. This modification crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/m and is isotypic with the corresponding Zn compound. The asymmetric unit consists of one crystallographically independent Co cation and two crystallographically independent thiocyanate anions that are located on a crystallographic mirror plane and one DMAP ligand (general position). In its crystal structure the discrete complexes are linked by C—H...S hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network. For comparison, the crystal structure of the known low-temperature form II, which is already thermodynamically stable at room temperature, was redetermined at the same temperature. In this polymorph the complexes are connected by C—H...S and C—H...N hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network. At 100 K the density of the high-temperature form I (ρ = 1.462 g cm−3) is higher than that of the low-temperature form II (ρ = 1.457 g cm−3), which is in contrast to the values determined by XRPD at room temperature. Therefore, these two forms represent an exception to the Kitaigorodskii density rule, for which extensive intermolecular hydrogen bonding in form II might be responsible.

Keywords

• crystal structure
• polymorphism
• cobalt(ii)thiocyanate
• hydrogen bonding