Novel tripodal chelating ligand for appending and encapsulating metal ions. Crystal structure of a parachute-like hydrogen bonded complex

Abstract

Tripodal ligand 1,3,5-tris(1-methylimidazol-2-ylmethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene (3) forms a parachute-like non-covalent complex with zinc tetrachloride, 5·[Zn2Cl6]0.5, where the imidazoles of the ligand are protonated and bind to the metal ion through NH···Cl hydrogen bonds.