Bis[4-chloro-2-(quinolin-8-yl-imino-meth-yl)phenolato-κ(3) N,N',O]cobalt(III) trichlorido-methano-lcobaltate(II)

The reaction of 4-chloro-2-(quinolin-8-yl-imino-meth-yl)phenol (HClQP) with cobalt(II) dichloride hexa-hydrate in methanol/chloro-form under solvothermal conditions yielded the title compound, [Co(C16H10ClN2O)2][CoCl3(CH3OH)]. The Co(III) atom is six-coordinated in a slightly distorted octa-hedral geometry by four N atoms and two O atoms of two tridentate HClQP ligands, which are nearly perpendicular to each other, making a dihedral angle of 86.95°. The Co(II) atom is four-coordinated by three Cl atoms and one O atom from a methanol ligand in a distorted tetra-hedral geometry. The crystal packing is consolidated by inter-molecular O-H⋯Cl, C-H⋯Cl and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional supra-molecular structure, in which [Co(II)Cl3(CH3OH)] anions are connected via O-H⋯Cl and C-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds into centrosymmetric dimers. Neighboring cobalt(III) complexes form dimers through C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, as well as π-π stacking [centroid-centroid distances = 3.30 (2) Å] between the planar quinoline systems of one HClQP ligand and the phenolate ring of another.