The Crystal Structure of Mercury(I) Trifluoroacetate

The crystal structure has been determined by three-dimensional X-ray analysis. The monoclinic unit cell of dimensions a = 14.886 ± 0.005, b = 9.337 ± 0.005, c = 8.230 ± 0.005 A, β = 124.4 ± 0.2° contains four formula units of Hg2(CF3CO2)2. The space group is C2/c. The structure was solved from Patterson and electron-density maps and refined by least-squares methods to a conventional R index of 0.105 for 724 independent, non-zero reflexions collected by the use of equi-inclination Weissenberg photographs. The crystal structure is built up of discrete molecules with the molecular symmetry C2. The molecules are connected by intermolecular Hg … O bonds 2.64 A long to form puckered ribbons extending along the c direction. The Hg-Hg distance is 2.505 ± 0.003 A. The carboxy group is bonded to the mercury atom by one oxygen atom at a distance of 2.14 ± 0.03 A with the bond angle HgHgO of 166.6°, the other oxygen atom being located 2.81 ± 0.05 A from the same mercury atom.