Tris(2,2′-bipyridine-κ2N:N′)cobalt(III) trichloride tetrahydrate

The title compound, [Co(C10H8N2)(3)]Cl-3 center dot 4H(2)O, contains discrete [Co(bpy)(3)](3+) cations (bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine), Cl- anions and water molecules. The [Co(bpy)(3)](3+) complex cation exhibits C-2 symmetry with the twofold axis through the central Co atom and bisecting one bpy ligand and one of the Cl- anions. The four solvent water molecules and the remaining two Cl- anions lie on a mirror plane. Hydrogen-bond interactions define a two-dimensional layer structure parallel to (100), which consists of seven-membered [Cl-2(H2O)(5)], eight-membered [Cl-4(H2O)(4)] and ten-membered [Cl-2(H2O)(8)] rings.