Strong Attraction of Caffeine to the Mercurous Dumbbell in the Salt [Hg2(Caf)2](ClO4)2(H2O)2

Abstract

AbstractColourless single crystals of the caffeine adduct of mercurous perchlorate dihydrate, [Hg2(Caf)2](ClO4)2(H2O)2, were grown from aqueous solutions of mercurous perchlorate and caffeine by isothermal evaporation at ambient temperature. The crystal structure (monoclinic, P21/n, Z = 4, a = 1628.0(2), b = 780.4(1), c = 2229.6(3) pm, β = 99.84(1)°, R1(all data) = 0.0894) contains [trans‐Caf‐Hg‐Hg‐Caf]2+ cations with a Hg‐Hg distance of 250.88(6) pm, Hg‐N (bond) distances of 214.4(6) and 215.1(6) pm and Hg‐Hg‐N angles of 176.9(2) and 165.1(2)°, respectively. These cations are attached via weak Hg‐O contacts to dimers which are further arranged to leave large channels into which one crystal water molecule is included. The second water molecule and the two perchlorate anions are weakly attracted to one Hg atom.