Organic-inorganic hybrid hexa-chlorido-stannate(IV) with 2-methyl-imidazo[1,5-]pyridin-2-ium cation.

The hybrid salt bis-(2-methyl-imidazo[1,5-]pyridin-2-ium) hexa-chlorido-stannate(IV), (CHN)[SnCl], crystallizes in the monoclinic space group 2/ with the asymmetric unit containing an SnCl fragment (Sn site symmetry ) and one organic cation. The five- and six-membered rings in the cation are nearly coplanar; bond lengths in the pyridinium ring of the fused core are as expected; the C-N/C bond distances in the imidazolium entity fall in the range 1.337 (5)-1.401 (5) Å. The octa-hedral SnCl dianion is almost undistorted with the Sn-Cl distances varying from 2.4255 (9) to 2.4881 (8) Å and the Cl-Sn-Cl angles approaching 90°. In the crystal, π-stacked chains of cations and loosely packed SnCl dianions form separate sheets alternating parallel to (101). Most of the numerous C-H⋯Cl-Sn contacts between the organic and inorganic counterparts with the H⋯Cl distances above the van der Waals contact limit of 2.85 Å are considered a result of crystal packing.