A lead-halide ladder complex:: catena-poly[bis(2,3-dimethylquinoxalinium) [[di-μ2-bromido-bis[dibromoplumbate(II)]]di-μ2-bromido]]

In the title compound, {(C10H12N2)(2)[Pb2Br8]}(n), the asymmetric unit consists of half a cation and one-quarter of a doubly-bridged dinuclear anionic unit. The planar cations lies on a twofold axis that runs lengthwise through both rings. The Pb and one Br atoms are located on twofold axes, whereas the second Br atom is located on a mirror plane and the third lies on a general position. The polymeric anion forms an infinite ladder structure running along the c axis with rungs consisting of Pb and bridging Br atoms, with two octahedra sharing edges as the rungs of the ladder and sharing vertices as the rails. There are N - H center dot center dot center dot Br hydrogen-bonding interactions, ca 3.21 angstrom, linking the PbBr ladders to the cations.