Aquabromo(6-carboxypyridine-2-carboxylato-O,N,O')mercury(II)

The title compound, [HgBr(C7H4NO4)(H2O)], was obtained by the reaction of an aqueous solution of mercury(II) bromide and pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (picolinic acid, dipicH(2)). The shortest bond distances to Hg are Hg-Br 2.412 (1) A and Hg-N 2.208 (5) A; the corresponding N-Hg-Br angle of 169.6 (1) degrees corresponds to a slightly distorted linear coordination. There are also four longer Hg-O interactions, three from dipicH(-) [2.425 (4) and 2.599 (4) A within the asymmetric unit, and 2.837 (4) A from a symmetry-related molecule] and one from the bonded water molecule [2.634 (4) A]. The effective coordination of Hg can thus be described as 2+4. The molecules are connected to form double-layer chains parallel to the y axis by strong O-H.O hydrogen bonds between carboxylic acid groups of neighbouring molecules, and by weaker hydrogen bonds involving both H atoms of the water molecule and the O atoms of the carboxylic acid groups.