Two clathrates of bis(isothiocyanato)tetrakis(4-methylpyridine)magnesium(II) as a host with 4-methylpyridine as a guest

Two clathrate modifications of the title host with 4-methylpyridine (4-CH₃C₅H₄N) as a guest have been determined at –50°C. Mg(4-CH₃C₅H₄N)₄(NCS)₂] · 2/3(4-CH₃C₅H₄N) · 1/3H₂O is trigonal, space group , witha=27.630(7),c=11.219(3) ÅV=7417(4) ų,Z=9,D _calc=1.171 g cm^–3,(CuK )=18.506 cm^–1, finalR=0.064. Mg(4-CH₃C₅H₄N)₄(NCS)₂] · (4-CH₃C₅H₄N) is tetragonal, space group I4_l/a, witha=16.944(7),c=23.552(9)Å,V=6762(5) Å,Z=8,D _calc=1.191 g cm^–3, (CuK )=18.200 cm^–1, finalR=0.071.The structures consist of molecular packings of the same host complex units and the guest species. The Mg(II) cation is octahedrally coordinated to theN-atoms of four 4-methylpyridine and twotrans-coordinated isothiocyanato ligands in the host molecule. The conformations of the molecule are considerably different both in symmetry and in geometry in these two structures. The guest 4-methylpyridine molecules are disordered into channels which have different topology in these two clathrates resulting in different thermal stability.