Hydrothermal synthesis of Co^II chiral inorganic-organic complex: Structural, thermal and catalytic evaluation, Maatar Ben Salah, A.; Herrera, R. P.; Naïli, H. J. Mol. Struct. 2018, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2018.04.002

Abstract. By heating the cobalt chloride hexahydrate (CoCl₂·6H₂O) with the R form of the organic amine α-methylbenzylamine (C₈H₁₁N) under hydro(solvo)thermal conditions, we have successfully generated the corresponding non-centrosymmetric homochiral hybrid tris(α-methylbenzylammonium tetrachloridocobaltate chloride [R-(C₈H₁₂N)₃][CoCl₄]Cl abbreviated R(MBA)Co. We present the growth conditions together with a characterization of the single crystals by means of X-ray single-crystal diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared, TG/TDA thermal decomposition and catalytic properties. This inorganic–organic hybrid compound crystallizes in the chiral space group P2₁ and exhibits a supramolecular-layered organization wherein a double layer of (R)-methylbenzylammonium cations and the uncoordinated chloride anions are sandwiched between anionic layers, formed by isolated tetrachloridocobaltate tetrahedra. The crystal packing is governed by a three-dimensional network of N/C—H···Cl hydrogen bonds between the inorganic and organic moieties and C-H···π interactions between the aromatic rings of the organic moieties themselves. Thermal analysis discloses a phase transition at the temperature 130 °C. The Co complex was also employed as suitable catalyst activating the acetal formation reaction of aldehydes using MeOH as solvent and as the unique source of acetalisation.