Isostructural crystal packing and hydrogen bonding in alkylammonium tin(IV) chloride compounds.

The three isostructural compounds butylammonium hexachloridotin(IV), pentylammonium hexachloridotin(IV) and hexylammonium hexachloridotin(IV), (C(n)H(2n+1)NH(3))(2)[SnCl(6)], with n = 4, 5 and 6, respectively, crystallize as inorganic-organic hybrids. As such, the structures consist of layers of [SnCl(6)](2-) octahedra, separated by hydrocarbon layers of interdigitated butylammonium, pentylammonium or hexylammonium cations. Corrugated layers of cations alternate with tin(IV) chloride layers. The asymmetric unit in each compound consists of an anionic component comprising one Sn and two Cl atoms on a mirror plane, and two Cl atoms in general positions; the two cations lie on another mirror plane. Application of the mirror symmetry generates octahedral coordination around the Sn atom. All compounds exhibit bifurcated and simple hydrogen-bonding interactions between the ammonium groups and the Cl atoms, with little variation in the hydrogen-bonding geometries.