2,9-Bis(trichloromethyl)-1,10-phenanthroline

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(14)H(6)Cl(6)N(2), contains two crystallographically independent molecules, each of which is slightly twisted from planarity. The dihedral angles between the central ring and the two outer rings are 3.81 (7) and 4.30 (7)degrees in one molecule, and 4.13 (8) and 4.10 (7)degrees in the other. In the crystal structure, molecules are interlinked by C-Cl center dot center dot center dot Cl interactions into sheets parallel to the ac plane. These sheets are stacked along the b axis in such a way that the molecules are antiparallel; they are further connected into a supramolecular network. There are no classical hydrogen bonds. C center dot center dot center dot Cl [3.637 (2) angstrom], Cl center dot center dot center dot Cl [3.5639 (5)-3.6807 (8) angstrom] and Cl center dot center dot center dot N [3.3802 (15)-3.4093 (15) angstrom] short contacts and pi-pi interactions, with centroid-centroid distances in the range 3.5868 (9)-3.7844 (9) angstrom, are observed.