Synthesis and structure of cesium 1,5-bis(p-tolyl)pentaazadienide, Cs+(tolN5tol)-

Cs+(tolN5tol)- (1) is formed as a yellow crystalline precipitate after addition of a concentrated aqueous solution of CsCl to a concentrated solution of 1,5-bis(p-tolyl)pentaazadiene(1,4) in ammonia. 1 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pccn with a = 3169(1), b = 434,3(2), c = 1109.4(7) pm, Z = 4. The structure contains (tolN5tol)- anions and Cs+ cations both occupying two-fold axes. The all-trans N5 zigzag chain is planar with localized double bonds N1-N2 and N2'-N1' of 127.7 pm and shortened single bonds N2-N3 and N3-N2' of 136.9 pm. The tolyl substituents are titled by 25.5deg against the plane of the N atoms. Cs+ is surrounded in a square antiprismatic arrangement by eight N atoms of four N5 chains with distances Cs-N in the range of 314.6 to 366.2 pm. (orig.)