(Benzoato-κO)bis(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2N,N′)copper(II) chloride benzoic acid disolvate

In the title complex, [Cu(C7H5O2)(C12H8N2)(2)]Cl center dot 2C(6)H(5)-COOH, the Cu-II ion is coordinated by one carboxylate O atom from a benzoate anion and four N atoms from two phenantroline ligands in a distorted five-coordinate trigonal-bipyramidal CuON4 chromophore. The Cu2+ and the Cl- ion are imposed by a twofold rotation axiss which also bisects the equally disordered benzoate anion. In the crystal, the molecules are assembled into chains along [010] by C-H center dot center dot center dot Cl, O-H center dot center dot center dot Cl and C-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen-bonding interactions. The resulting chains are further connected into two-dimensional supramolecular layers parallel to [100] by inter-chain pi center dot center dot center dot pi stacking interactions [centroid-centroid distance = 3.823 (5) angstrom] between the phenanthroline ligands and the benzoic acid molecules, and by C-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen-bonding interactions. Strong pi center dot center dot center dot pi stacking interactions between adjacent phenantroline ligands [3.548 (4) angstrom] assemble the layers into a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture.