Tris(1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(II) Bis(hexafluorophosphate)

[Ru(phen)₃](PF₆)₂ (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), [Ru(C₁₂H₈N₂)₃](PF₆)₂, is homostructural with the perchlorate monohydrates of the Cu^II, Co^II, Os^II, and Fe^II analogues. This homomorphism is notable in view of the widely differing metal-atom environments and counterion sizes, and suggests that the packing arrangement is a general and accommodating one among tris(1,10-phenanthroline)metal(II) complexes. While [Ru(bpy)₃](PF₆)₂ is built up from homochiral layers, [Ru(phen)₃](PF₆)₂ is composed of rigorously racemic layers of complex cations parallel to the bc plane, with counterions sandwiched between. The average length of the Ru-N bonds [2.063 (4) Å] and the average ligand bite angle [79.8 (2)°] compare well with the values published for [Ru(bpy)₃](PF₆)₂ [2.056 (2) Å and 78.7 (1)°].

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