Structural studies in the phenylmercury/oxinate system

The crystal structures of PhHgL [L = quinaldinate, C₁₀H₈NO^- (1); oxinate, C₉H₆NO^-, two phases, (2) and (3)] have been determined at 295 K and refined by least squares to residuals of 0•068 (2148 ‘observed’ reflections) for (1), 0•107 (1165) for (2) and 0•046 (1146) for (3). Crystals of (1) are monoclinic, C2/c, a 22•961(8), b9•142(2), c 16•412(6) Å, β 127•75(2)°, Z 8; those of (2) are orthorhombic, Pnam, a 23•12(3), b 16•59(2), c 6•62(1) Å, Z 8; those of (3) are orthorhombic, P2₁2₁2_l, a 5•584(2), b 9•902(3), c 22•073(9) Å, Z 4. In (1) the molecules are grouped as loose dimeric associations about a twofold axis with Hg ⋯ O bridges. In (2) the molecules lie stacked in a loose infinite array along c, while in (3) the disposition is an infinite helical array; in both (2) and (3), the Hg ⋯ O contacts are very long.