The crystal structure of bis-(2-thioimidazolidine)nickel thiocyanate, Ni[SC(NHCHz)2]2(NCS)2, has been determined and refined by three-dimensional Fourier methods (final R = 11.6 Vo). There is one formula unit in the triclinic (PI) unit cell: a=5.592(21), b=8-664(18), c= 8-686(22) /~, e=113°39"(7'), B= 95°8'(7'), 9= 108°43"(6'). Each nickel atom is octahedrally surrounded by two sulphur atoms (Ni-S 2.51/~) from two thioimidazolidine molecules, and by two sulphur atoms (Ni-S 2-54/~) and two nitrogen atoms (Ni-N 1.99/~) from four different NCS groups. These nitrogen atoms are trans with respect to the plane of the sulphur atoms. The octahedra are linked in zigzag chains by the NCS groups, which form bridges between adjacent nickel atoms. The thioimidazolidine molecule is not strictly planar, the two CH2 groups being shifted by ~ 0. I/~ on opposite sides of the plane of the thiourea part of the molecule. The infrared C-S and C-N stretching frequencies of bridged NCS groups in some thioimidazolidine-metal complexes are compared.
Structure analysis and refinementThe structure was solved directly, assuming all the structure factors to be positive in the first Fourier calculation. This implied the assumption of the space group Pi with the choice of origin at the Ni atom, which is heavy enough to dominate the majority of the signs. In this way the S atoms were located first and all the other atoms were located in successive calculations.The refinement was carried out in the P i space group by means of Booth's differential syntheses with anisotropic thermal parameters. These parameters were derived from the second derivatives of the electron-density from differential synthesis, following the method of . At the end of this refinement, the ratios r(x)=~r(x)/e(x) between the e.s.d.'s and the shifts of the coordinates were as shown in Table 1 and the agreement indices (R, for observed reflexions only; R' assuming Fo = ½Fmln when Fc > Frnin for unobserved reflexions; multiplicities not considered) were: R---11.6~, R'= 13.0~. NARDELLI, GASPARRI, MUSATTI AND MANFREDOTTI 911