Crystal and molecular structures of the complexes of cobalt dichloride with 1-isopropenylimidazole and 1-vinylimidazole

The crystal and molecular structures of bis(1-isopropenylimidazole)dichlorocobalt (C₁₂H₁₆Cl₂·N₄Co) [R 0.036 (R _W 0.089) for 3229 unique reflections with I > 2σ(I)] and tetra(1-vinylimidazole)dichlorocobalt (C₂₀H₂₄Cl₂N₈Co) [R 0.031 (R _W 0.072) for 1863 unique reflections with I > 2σ(I)] were determined. In these molecular complexes, the monodentate terminal 1-alkenylimidazole ligands coordinate to the metal via a “pyridine” nitrogen atom. In C₁₂H₁₆Cl₂N₄Co, the Co atom has a distorted tetrahedral 2N,2Cl coordination. The coordination polyhedron of cobalt in C₂₀H₂₄Cl₂N₈Co is a strongly elongated 4N,2Cl octahedron. The Co-N and Co-Cl bonds [Co-N 2.015(2) and 2.032(4) Å; Co-Cl 2.229(2) Å] in the tetrahedral complex C₁₂H₁₆Cl₂N₄Co are shorter than those in the octahedral complex C₂₀H₂₄Cl₂N₈Co [Co-N 2.134(2) and 2.157(2) Å; Co-Cl 2.518(1) Å]. In the structures of both complexes there are short contacts involving the Cl atoms.