Dichloridobis[1-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-1H-imidazole-κN 3]copper(II)

In the title complex, [CuCl2(C12H14N2)2], the Cu2+ cation is situated on an inversion centre and is coordinated by two N atoms from symmetry-related 1-mesityl-1H-imidazole ligands and by two chloride anions in a slightly distorted square-planar geometry. In the organic ligand, the dihedral angle between the benzene ring of the mesityl moiety and the imidazole ring is 76.99 (18)°. Weak intramolecular C—H⋯Cl hydrogen-bonding interactions consolidate the molecular conformation.

In the title complex, [CuCl 2 (C 12 H 14 N 2 ) 2 ], the Cu 2+ cation is situated on an inversion centre and is coordinated by two N atoms from symmetry-related 1-mesityl-1H-imidazole ligands and by two chloride anions in a slightly distorted squareplanar geometry. In the organic ligand, the dihedral angle between the benzene ring of the mesityl moiety and the imidazole ring is 76.99 (18) . Weak intramolecular C-HÁ Á ÁCl hydrogen-bonding interactions consolidate the molecular conformation.
Supplementary data and figures for this paper are available from the IUCr electronic archives (Reference: WM2773).
The molecular structure of compound (I) is shown in Fig. 1. The metal cation is situated on an inversion centre and is coordinated by two N atoms of the 1-mesityl-1H-imidazole ligands and by two chloride anions in a slightly distorted square-planar geometry. The mesityl ring moiety and the imidazole ring are almost orthogonal to each other, with a dihedral angle between the two rings of 76.99 (18) °. Weak intramolecular C-H···Cl hydrogen bonding interactions consolidate the molecular conformation (Fig. 2).

Experimental
In a Schlenk flask, a solution of 1-mesityl-1H-imidazole (10 ml, 1M in CH 2 Cl 2 ) was added to a suspension of CuCl 2 (5 mmol) in 10 ml CH 2 Cl 2 at room temperature. The reaction was stirred in the absence of light for 6 h at this temperature.
The reaction mixture was then filtered in the dark and the volume of the solution reduced to 5.0 ml. Pentane was added to afford the product as an green solid in 40% yield. Single crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction were obtained by slow evaporation of a solution of the title compound in CH 2 Cl 2 at room temperature.

Special details
Geometry. All e.s.d.'s (except the e.s.d. in the dihedral angle between two l.s. planes) are estimated using the full covariance matrix. The cell e.s.d.'s are taken into account individually in the estimation of e.s.d.'s in distances, angles and torsion angles; correlations between e.s.d.'s in cell parameters are only used when they are defined by crystal symmetry. An approximate (isotropic) treatment of cell e.s.d.'s is used for estimating e.s.d.'s involving l.s. planes. Refinement. Refinement of F 2 against ALL reflections. The weighted R-factor wR and goodness of fit S are based on F 2 , conventional R-factors R are based on F, with F set to zero for negative F 2 . The threshold expression of F 2 > σ(F 2 ) is used only for calculating R-factors(gt) etc. and is not relevant to the choice of reflections for refinement. R-factors based on F 2 are statistically about twice as large as those based on F, and R-factors based on ALL data will be even larger.

Fractional atomic coordinates and isotropic or equivalent isotropic displacement parameters (Å 2 )
x y z U iso */U eq  (5)