Synthesis, structural characterization, and spectroscopic studies of bis-tetraethylammonium hexabromostannate [N(C2H5)4]2SnBr6

The structure of the new organic-inorganic hybrid compound (TEA)(2)SnBr6 (TEA(+) = tetraethylammonium cation, [N(C2H5)(4)](+)), synthesized by slow solvent evaporation at room temperature, has been determined by singlecrystal X-ray diffraction analysis. At room temperature, it crystallizes in the trigonal-centrosymmetric space group R-3c (167) with parameters a = b = 10.7912(2) angstrom and c = 42.5740(11) angstrom, as expressed in the corresponding hexagonal cell. The structure of (TEA)(2)SnBr6 is built up of isolated SnBr6 octahedra (0D) arranged in a quasi-face-centered system (F). The Raman spectrum of (TEA)(2)SnBr6 has been acquired at room temperature in the wavenumber range 10-3600 cm(-1). The results have been analyzed on the basis of group theory (predictions based on space group and compatibility relationships from free SnBr62- and TEA(+) entities), comparison with studies of [N(CH3)(4)](2)SnBr6, and ab initio calculations on TEA(+), and are consistent with the structure.