Tris(ethyl­enedi­amine)­cobalt(II) dichloride

The title compound, [Co(II)(C(2)H(8)N(2))(3)]Cl(2), was obtained unexpectedly as the product of an attempted solvothermal synthesis of cobalt selenide from the elements in the presence of NH(4)Cl in ethyl­enedi­amine solvent. The three chelate rings of the distorted octa­hedral [Co(C(2)H(8)N(2))(3)](2+) complex cation adopt twisted conformations about their C—C bonds. The spread of cis-N—Co—N bond angles [80.17 (6)–98.10 (6)°] in the title compound is considerably greater than the equivalent data for [Co(III)(C(2)H(8)N(2))(3)]Cl(3) [Takamizawa et al. (2008 ▶). Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 47, 1689–1692]. In the crystal, the components are linked by numerous N—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds, generating a three-dimensional network in which the cationic complexes are stacked in columns along [010] and separated by columns of chloride anions.