A one-dimensional HgII coordination polymer based on bis(pyridin-3-ylmethyl)sulfane

The reaction of mercury(II) chloride with bis(pyridin-3-ylmethyl)sulfane (L, C12H12N2S) in methanol afforded the title crystalline coordination polymer catena-poly[[dichloridomercury(II)]-μ-bis(pyridin-3-ylmethyl)sulfane-κ2N:N′], [HgCl2L]n. The asymmetric unit consists of one HgII cation, one L ligand and two chloride anions. Each HgII ion is coordinated by two pyridine N atoms from separate L ligands and two chloride anions. The metal adopts a highly distorted tetrahedral geometry, with bond angles about the central atom in the range 97.69 (12)–153.86 (7)°. Each L ligand bridges two HgII ions, forming an infinite –(Hg–L)n– zigzag chain along the b axis, with an Hg...Hg separation of 10.3997 (8) Å. In the crystal, adjacent chains are connected by intermolecular C—H...Cl hydrogen bonds, together with Hg—Cl...π interactions [chloride-to-centroid distance = 3.902 (3) Å], that form between a chloride anion and the one of the pyridine rings of L, generating a two-dimensional layer extending parallel to (101). These layers are further linked by intermolecular C—H...π hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional supramolecular network.