Solution-state NMR and X-ray crystallography were used to investigate the complexation of HgCl
2 by the potentiallytetradentate ligand tris[(6-methyl-2-pyridyl)methyl]amine (TLA) in acetonitrile. A change in the ligandconformation as a function of the metal-to-ligand ratio could be indirectly monitored through large changes in
3J(
1H
199Hg) to the methylene protons at -40
C. The solution-state NMR were correlated with two solid-statestructures. The five-coordinate complex [Hg(TLA)Cl
2] (
1) crystallizes in the triclinic space group
P with
a =8.663(3) Å,
b = 11.539(4) Å,
c = 13.739(3) Å,
= 80.81(2)
,
= 75.84(2)
,
= 80.97(3)
, and
Z = 2. TheHg-N
amine distance of 2.505(7) Å for the tridentate ligand is the same as the average Hg-N
lutidyl distance of2.50(3) Å for the two bound lutidyl nitrogens. [Hg(TLA)Cl]
2(Hg
2Cl
6) (
2) also crystallizes in
P with
a = 10.606(2) Å,
b = 15.104(3) Å,
c = 17.785(4) Å,
= 67.46(3)
,
= 83.52(3)
,
= 80.29(3)
, and
Z = 2. The ligandis tetradentate in the two crystallographically unique cations which are arranged in a dimer-like orientation. Theaverage Hg-Cl distance is 2.37 (1) Å, and the average interionic Hg-Cl distance is 3.51(1) Å. The Hg- N
lutidyldistances are of two types: two have an average distance of 2.36(3) Å, nearly the same as the Hg-N
amine distanceof 2.35(2) Å. The remaining four N
lutidyl distances have an average distance of 2.56(5) Å.