[Phthalocyaninato(2-)]antimony(III) chloride

The title antimony(III) complex, [Sb(C32H16N8)]Cl or [SbPc]Cl (where Pc = C32H16N82-), has been obtained from the reaction of pure powdered antimony with 1,2-dicyanobenzene under a stream of ICl vapour. The asymmetric unit of this complex consists of an [SbPc](+) cation and a Cl- anion. The phthalocyaninate residue [SbPc](+) is not planar. The Sb atom lies 1.057 (3) Angstrom from the plane defined by the four isoindole N atoms. A combination of ionic and donor-acceptor interactions links the [SbPc]Cl molecules to form centrosymmetric [(SbPc)Cl](2) pseudo-dimers in the crystal. The Sb-Cl distances in the pseudo-dimer are not equivalent [3.043 (2) and 3.201 (2) Angstrom]. The pseudo-dimers are weakly linked through Cl . . .H-C-benzo interactions to form a three-dimensional network. As a result of these interactions, the four Sn-N-isoindole bond lengths in the [SbPc](+) residue are not equivalent and the symmetry of the Sb-N core is only close to C-s.