Crystal structure of bis[(phenylmethanamine-kappa N)(phthalocyaninato-kappa N-4) zinc] phenylmethanamine trisolvate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, 2[Zn(C32H16N8)(C7H9N)] center dot 3C(7)H(9)N, comprises two independent complex molecules and three benzylamine solvent molecules. Each complex molecule features a pentacoordinated Zn2+ ion within a square-pyramidal geometry, whereby the N5 donor set is defined by four atoms of the phthalocyaninate dianion (PC) and an N-bound benzylamine molecule; it is the relative orientations of the latter that differentiate between the independent complex molecules. The uncoordinated benzylamine molecules display different conformations in the structure, with syn-C-ar-C-ar-C-m-N (ar = aromatic, m = methylene) torsion angles spanning the range - 28.7 (10) to 35.1 (14) degrees In the crystal, N-H center dot center dot center dot N and N-H center dot center dot center dot pi interactions lead to supramolecular layers in the ab plane. The layers have a zigzag topology, have the coordinating and non-coordinating benzylamine molecules directed to the inside, and present the essentially flat PC resides to the outside. This arrangement enables adjacent layers to associate via pi-pi interactions [intercentroid distance between pyrrolyl and fused-benzene rings = 3.593 (2) angstrom] so that a three-dimensional architecture is formed.