Studies of the rhenium–oxygen bond. II. The crystal and molecular structure of µ-oxobis(cis-dichloro-cis-di(pyridine)-trans-oxorhenium(V)), ORe(C5H5N)2Cl2ORe(C5H5N)2Cl2O

Abstract

The crystal structure of µ-oxobis(cis-dichloro-cis-di(pyridine)-trans-oxorhenium(V)), ORe(C5H5N)2Cl2•O•Re(C5H5N)2Cl2O bas been studied by single crystal X-ray methods. The crystals were orthorhombic with lattice parameters a = 15.367(2), b = 10.283(2), c = 16.685(2) Å. The space group was Pna21 and there were four formula weights per unit cell. A total of 3339 reflections, of which 2990 were observed, were examined, and the structure refined by full matrix least squares (treating the pyridine rings as groups) to an R2 value of 0.0449. The dimer had a roughly rectilinear O—Re—O—Re—O backbone with pairs of chlorine atoms and pyridine molecules arranged cis in each half of the dimer. The two halves of the dimer were arranged such that the pairs of cis atoms in one half were rotated about the Re(1)–Re(2) axis almost 113 ° when compared to the corresponding pair in the other half. Important bond lengths (Re—O(terminal), 1.715(16), 1.764(16); Re—O(bridging), 1.943(16), 1.903(16); Re—Cl, 2.356(5)–2.390(5); Re—N, 2.116(16)–2.180(16)) were close to previously observed values. The molecule was markedly disturbed from the idealized structure and this was caused by intramolecular non-bonded interactions.