Tris(ethyl­enedi­amine)­cobalt(II) dichloride

The title compound, [Co^II(C₂H₈N₂)₃]Cl₂, was obtained unexpectedly as the product of an attempted solvothermal synthesis of cobalt selenide from the elements in the presence of NH₄Cl in ethyl­enedi­amine solvent. The three chelate rings of the distorted octa­hedral [Co(C₂H₈N₂)₃]²⁺ complex cation adopt twisted conformations about their C—C bonds. The spread of cis-N—Co—N bond angles [80.17 (6)–98.10 (6)°] in the title compound is considerably greater than the equivalent data for [Co^III(C₂H₈N₂)₃]Cl₃ [Takamizawa et al. (2008). Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 47, 1689–1692]. In the crystal, the components are linked by numerous N—H...Cl hydrogen bonds, generating a three-dimensional network in which the cationic complexes are stacked in columns along [010] and separated by columns of chloride anions.