catena-Poly[[(3-acetylpyridine)copper(I)]μ3-chloro]

In the search for ketone complexes suitable for absolute asymmetric synthesis, that is, complexes crystallizing in Sohncke space groups, we have studied complexes between copper( I) halides and acetylpyridines. The structure of polymeric [CuCl(3-acpy)](n) (3-acpy is 3-acetylpyridine, C7H7NO), a compound which was found to form achiral chains crystallizing in a centrosymmetric space group, is reported here. The complex forms ladder-type chains, in which the Cu-I atom is coordinated by one N atom and three Cl atoms in a tetrahedral geometry. In the crystal structure, the chains are interconnected through C - H....Cl and C - H.....O intermolecular contacts.