Tris[N‐(4‐fluorophenyl)pyridine‐2‐carboxamidato‐κ2N,N′]cobalt(III) trihydrate: a novel meridional complex

The title complex, Co(C₁₂H₈FN₂O)₃]·3H₂O, has been synthesized for the first time. The complex comprises three bidentate ligands containing the pyridine‐2‐carbox­amide stem. The distorted octahedral coordination around the Co atom is formed via the pyridine (py) N atom and the deprotonated amide N atom of each ligand, with the three pyridine rings in a meridional arrangement. For each ligand, the pyridine ring and the carbonyl group are nearly coplanar, with torsion angles in the range 0.4 (3)–4.8 (4)°. The Co—N_py distances 1.9258 (16)–1.9656 (17) Å] are shorter than the corresponding Co—N_amide distances 1.9372 (17)–1.9873 (15) Å]. In addition, the Co—N_py distances are closely related to the magnitudes of the chelate angles, a shorter Co—N_py distance corresponding to a larger angle. Five intermolecular hydrogen bonds, involving carbonyl O atoms of the ligands and lattice water mol­ecules, lead to the formation of a mesh structure.