A new two-dimensional polymeric cadmium(II) complex containing dicyanamide bridging ligands

As part of an exploration of new coordination polymers, a cadmium-dicyanamide complex, namely poly[benzyltriethylammonium [tri-μ-dicyanamido-κ⁶N¹:N⁵-cadmium(II)]], {(C₁₃H₂₂N)[Cd(C₂N₃)₃]}_n, has been synthesized by the reaction of benzyltriethylammonium bromide, cadmium nitrate tetrahydrate and sodium dicyanamide in aqueous solution, and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction at room temperature. In the crystal structure, each Cd^II cation is coordinated by six nitrile N atoms from six anionic dicyanamide (dca) ligands to furnish a slightly distorted octahedral geometry. Neighbouring Cd^II cations are linked by dicyanamide bridges to construct a two-dimensional anionic layer coordination polymer. One amide N atom in the bridging dca ligand is disordered over two sites. The cations lie between the anionic frameworks and there are no hydrogen-bond interactions between the cations and anions. The organic cations are not involved in the formation of the supramolecular network.