3,3'-Di-n-butyl-1,1'-(p-phenyl-ene-dimethyl-ene)diimidazolium bis-(hexa-fluoro-phosphate)

The asymmetric unit of the title N-heterocyclic carbene compound, C(22)H(32)N(4) (2+)·2PF(6) (-), consists of one half of the N-heterocyclic carbene dication and one hexa-fluoro-phosphate anion. The dication lies across a crystallographic inversion center. The imidazole ring is twisted away from the central benzene ring, making a dihedral angle of 76.23 (6)°. The hexa-fluoro-phosphate anions link the cations into a three-dimensional network via inter-molecular C-H⋯F hydrogen bonds. A weak C-H⋯π inter-action further stabilizes the crystal structure.