Powder study of poly[(μ2‐2,2‐dimethylpropane‐1,3‐diyl diisocyanide)‐μ2‐iodido‐silver(I)]

In order to explore the chemistry of the bidentate ligand 2,2‐dimethylpropane‐1,3‐diyl diisocyanide and to investigate the effect of counter‐ions on the polymeric structure of (2,2‐dimethylpropane‐1,3‐diyl diisocyanide)silver(I) complexes, the title polymeric compound, AgI(C₇H₁₀N₂)]_n, was synthesized by treatment of 2,2‐dimethylpropane‐1,3‐diyl diisocyanide with AgI. X‐ray powder diffraction studies show, as expected, a polymeric structure, similar to the very recently reported Cl⁻ and NO₃⁻ analogues AgX(C₇H₁₀N₂)]_n (X = Cl⁻ or NO₃⁻). In the title structure, the Ag^I centre is bridged to two adjacent Ag^I neighbours by bidentate 2,2‐dimethylpropane‐1,3‐diyl diisocyanide ligands via the NC groups to form Ag{CNCH₂C(CH₃)₂CH₂NC}]_n chains. The iodide counter‐ions crosslink the Ag^I centres of the chains to form a two‐dimensional polymeric {Ag{CNCH₂C(CH₃)₂CH₂NC}]I}_n network. This study also shows that this bidentate ligand forms similar polymeric structures on treatment with AgX, regardless of the nature of the counter‐ion X⁻, and also has a strong tendency to form polymeric complexes rather than dimeric or trimeric ones.