Abstract. Co[SC(NH2)2]4(NOa)2.½H20, monoclinic, Pc, a=17.40(4), b=11.90(3), e=9.81(2) •, fl= 101.0(3) °, V= 1990.7 Aa, Z=4 (two molecules in the asymmetric unit), Dm=l'58(1), Dx=l'59 gcm -a, kt(Mo Ke)--13"02 cm -1, 2(Mo Ke) =0.7107 A, filtered with Zr. The structure consists of nitrate anions and distorted [Co(tu)4] 2+ (tu=thiourea) cation layers parallel to (100), connected by ionic interactions and interlayer H bonds. The coordination symmetry about Co is nearly C2, taking into account only nearest neighbours, and there is evidence of an interaction between a Co(sp 3) hybrid orbital, and a delocalized tu n molecular orbital.Introduction. The crude material was kindly supplied by Dr R. Levitus. Crystals suitable for X-ray analysis were obtained by slow evaporation of an ethyl acetate solution at 0°C. They were blue-green needles elongated along c, and were mounted with this direction parallel to the spindle axis. Cell dimensions were taken from calibrated precession photographs (Mo K~ radiation). Intensity data were recorded with a crystal of approximate dimensions 1.35 x 0.19 x 0.19 mm. Levels hkO to hk7 were recorded on a Weissenberg camera, and levels hOl and Okl on a precession camera, with the same Mo Ke radiation. Multiple film and multiple exposure techniques were used. 1863 reflexions were measured (82.5 % of the Cu sphere) on mechanically integrated photographs with a microdensitometer. Of these, 330 were considered unobserved and given Fo=O. Absorption corrections were neglected. Reflexions from individual layers were cross-correlated and put on the same scale by the method of Hamilton, Rollett & Sparks (1960). Data were corrected for Lorentz and polarization factors, put on an absolute scale by a Wilson plot, and reduced to normalized structure factors 'E'.A sharpened origin-removed Patterson map was computed using the IE a-11 as coefficients. Resultant Co-Co peaks were successfully explained by both the possible space groups: Pc and P2/c. Co-S vectors, however, excluded the centrosymmetric group.Successive Fourier syntheses in the non-centrosymmetric space group Pc (with a twofold multiplicity in the general position) developed the complete structure with two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit, as required by the fact that from density measurements Z was known to equal 4.