Crystal structure of {bis[(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl-kappa N-3)methyl]sulfaneldichlorido-mercury(II)

In the asymmetric unit of the title compound, [HgCl2(C16H14N4S)], the Hg-II cation is linked to two Cl atoms and two imidazole N atoms of the chelating bis[(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)methyl]sulfane ligand, forming a slightly distorted tetrahedral environment. The substitued imidazole rings of the ligand are almost perfectly planar [with maximum deviations of 0.017 (3) and 0.012 (3) angstrom] and form a dihedral angle of 42.51 (5)degrees. The crystal packing can be described as alternating layers parallel to (010). In this arrangement, N-H center dot center dot center dot center dot Cl hydrogen bonds between the N-H groups of the benzimidazole moieties and chloride ligands are responsible for the formation of the chain-like packing pattern along [010] exhibiting a C(6) graph-set motif.