Crystal structure of tris-[hexa-kis-(imidazole)cobalt(II)] bis-(benzene-1,3,5-tri-carboxyl-ate).

The title compound, [CoII(C3H4N2)6]3(C9H3O6)2 (1), was synthesized from cobalt chloride(II), benzene-1,3,5-tri-carb-oxy-lic acid (H3btc) and imidazole (Im) in an ethanol/DMF mixture via slow evaporation at room temperature. This compound consists of three hexa-kis-(imidazole)-cobalt(II) cations and two trimesate anions. Examination of the crystal packing shows the formation of one-dimensional stacks of ions propagating along the c axis. The packing inter-actions are primarily driven by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonding between anions and cations.