Synthesis and structure of the mercury chloride complex of 2,2'-(2-bromo-5--butyl-1,3-phenyl-ene)bis-(1-methyl-1-benzimidazole).

In the title mercury complex, -poly[[di-chlorido-mercury(II)]-μ-2,2'-(2-bromo-5--butyl-1,3-phenyl-ene)bis-(1-methyl-1-benzimidazole)-κ:], [HgCl(CHBrN)] , the Hg atom is coordinated by two Cl atoms and by two N atoms from two 2,2'-(2-bromo-5--butyl-1,3-phenyl-ene)bis-(1-methyl-1-benzimidazole) ligands. The metal cation adopts a distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry with with bond angles around mercury of 100.59 (15)° [N-Hg-N] and 126.35 (7)° [Cl-Hg-Cl]. This arrangement gives rise to a zigzag helical 1-D polymer propagating along the axis direction.