A three-dimensional net of Δ-tris(1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(II) in the dual-metal self-assembly of bis[tris(1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(II)] tetraisothiocyanatoiron(II) bis(perchlorate)

Journal article, 2008

The title compound, [Ru(C12H8N2)3]2[Fe(NCS)4](ClO4)2, crystallizes in a tetragonal chiral space group (P41212) and the assigned absolute configuration of the optically active molecules was unequivocally confirmed. The Δ-[RuII(phen)3]2+ complex cations (phen is 1,10-phenanthroline) interact along the 41 screw axis parallel to the c axis, with an Ru...Ru distance of 10.4170(6) Å, and in the ab plane, with Ru...Ru distances of 10.0920(6) and 10.0938(6) Å, defining a primitive cubic lattice. The Fe atom is situated on the twofold axis diagonal in the ab plane. The supramolecular architecture is supported by C-H...O interactions between the [RuII(phen)3]2+ cation and the disordered perchlorate anion. This study adds to the relatively scarce knowledge about intermolecular interactions between [RuII(phen)3]2+ ions in the solid state, knowledge that eventually may also lead to a better understanding of the solution state interactions of this species; these are of immense interest because of the photochemical properties of these ions and their interactions with DNA.