3,4‐Lutidinium salts with the diiodidoaurate(I) anion: structure of [(3,4‐lut)2H]+·[AuI2]− and of two polymorphs of [(3,4‐lut)2H+]2·[AuI2]−·I−

Reactions between potassium tetraiodidoaurate(III) and pyridine (py, C₅H₅N) or 3,4‐lutidine (3,4‐dimethylpyridine, 3,4‐lut, C₇H₉N) were tested as possible sources of azaaromatic complexes of gold(III) iodide, but all identifiable products contained gold(I). The previously known structure dipyridinegold(I) diiodidoaurate(I), [Au(py)₂]⁺·[AuI₂]⁻, ( 3 ) [Adams et al. (1982). Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 485 , 81–91], was redetermined at 100 K. The reactions with 3,4‐lutidine gave three different types of crystal in small quantities. 3,4‐Dimethylpyridine–3,4‐dimethylpyridinium diiodidoaurate(I), [(3,4‐lut)₂H]⁺·[AuI₂]⁻, ( 1 ), consists of an [AuI₂]⁻ anion on a general position and two [(3,4‐lut)₂H]⁺ cations across twofold axes. Bis(3,4‐dimethylpyridine–3,4‐dimethylpyridinium) diiodidoaurate(I) iodide, [(3,4‐lut)₂H⁺]₂·[AuI₂]⁻·I⁻, ( 2 ), crystallizes as two polymorphs, each forming pseudosymmetric inversion twins, in the space groups P2₁ and Pc (but resembling P2₁/m and P2/c), respectively. These are essentially identical layer structures differing only in their stacking patterns and thus might be regarded as polytypes.