Crystal structure determination of complexes of monomethylammonium chloride and mercury(II) chloride: CH₃NH₃HgCl₃, (CH₃NH₃)₂HgCl₄, and CH₃NH₃Hg₂Cl₅

Abstract

Abstract The crystal structures have been determined of CH 3 NH 3 HgCl 3 , (CH 3 NH 3 ) 2 HgCl 4 , and CH 3 NH 3 Hg 2 Cl 5 . In (CH 3 NH 3 ) 2 HgCl 4 the Hg II atom is tetrahedrally coordinated by four Cl atoms with HgCl bond lengths of 2.464 to 2.478 Å. In the other two compounds the Hg II atom is involved in two short covalent HgCl bonds, forming a pseudo HgCl 2 molecule and two much longer bridging HgCl bonds. The methylammonium groups are connected by hydrogen bonds to the chlorine atoms. The nature of the hydrogen bonding scheme probably causes disorder of the methylammonium groups.