LAYER STRUCTURE OF [COCL(H2PO2)].H2O

Chloro(phosphinato)cobalt(II) monohydrate, M(r) = 177.39, orthorhombic, Pbca, a = 7.416 (4), b = 13.082 (7), c = 9.483 (5) angstrom, V = 920 (1) angstrom 3, Z = 8, D(x) = 2.56 Mg m-3, Mo K-alpha, lambda = 0.71069 angstrom, mu = 4.48 mm-1, F(000) = 696, room temperature, R = 0.025 for 1698 unique observed reflections; crystal growth by slow evaporation from an aqueous solution of CoCl2.6H2O and H3PO2. Layers are built up from distorted [CoO3Cl2(H2O)]6-octahedra, with Cl atoms in cis positions, sharing an edge of two O atoms, forming dimers connected together by corners (Cl atoms only). The (H2PO2)-tetrahedra connect two octahedra dimers and their O atoms are directed towards the next layer. The water molecule forms intralayer hydrogen bonds only. The sheets with formula CoCl(H2PO2)(H2O) are connected by weak (van der Waals) H-H, H-O and H-Cl bonds.