A Hexameric Hexagonal Organotin Macrocycle. Supramolecular Entrapment of an Iodide–Iodide Short Contact

A hexanuclear hexagonal organotin macrocycle [(n-Bu3Sn)6­(μ-L)6(I–)2­(MeOH)6] (1) was synthesized in a 1:1 reaction of (n-Bu3Sn)2O and 4,5-dicarboxy-1,3-dimethyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium iodide (LH2I). The molecular structure of 1 reveals that it is a 42-membered hexatin macrocycle possessing a C3 (pseudo-S6) symmetry. The alternate up–down arrangement of imidazolium units allows the molecule to assume a chair topology. The hexagonal packing of these macrocycles, in the solid-state, results in nanoscale one-dimensional channels which entrap two I– ions in close proximity (∼3.7 Å) as a result of various supramolecular interactions.