Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
An organic-inorganic hybrid compound containing imidazolium cations and a one-dimensional lithium
1College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
An organic-inorganic hybrid compound, catena-poly[bis(3H-imidazol-1-ium) [[tetracyanido-κ(4)C-cobalt(III)]-μ-cyanido-κ(2)C:N-[diaqualithium(I)]-μ-cyanido-κ(2)N:C]], {(C3H5N2)2[CoLi(CN)6(H2O)2]}n, was synthesized by the reaction of Li3[Co(CN)6] with imidazolium chloride in aqueous solution. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c (data collected at 273 K). In the crystal structure, neighbouring [Co(CN)6](3-) anionic units are linked by Li(+) cations through the cyanide groups in a trans mode, forming a one-dimensional zigzag chain structure extending along the c axis. A three-dimensional supramolecular network is formed through hydrogen-bonding interactions and is further stabilized by weak CN···π interactions between the cyanide groups and the imidazolium cations.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Ionic Crystal Structures
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature
Structural Isomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly,...
Ionic Compounds: Formulas and Nomenclature
Valence Bond Theory
Properties of Organometallic Compounds

