A water-bridged dinuclear complex of cobalt(II), pyridine and stearic acid

Article abstract of DOI:10.1107/S010827019700259X

In the crystal structure of μ-aqua-1:2κ²O-tetrapyridine-1κ ²N,2κ²N-bis(μ-stearato)-1κ ²O:2κ ²O′-bis(stearato)-1κO,2κO-dicobalt(II), [Co₂(C₁₈H₃₅O₂)₄(C ₅H₅N)₄-(H₂O)], hydrogen bonding [with an O...O distance of 2.564 (5) A] between the H atoms of the bridging water and the non-metal-bonding O atoms of the monodentate stearic acid molecules, stabilizes the dimeric core complex and consequently limits chain packing and conformation options. The structure is a member of a rare class of compounds, the well crystallized metallic salts of long-chain fatty acids. The structure also bears a remarkable similarity to built-up Langmuir-Blodgett films of metal carboxylates.