catena-Poly[[di-tert-butyl­tin(IV)]-μ-oxalato]

The title compound, [Sn(C(4)H(9))(2)(C(2)O(4))](n), an unexpected side product in the reaction of di-tert-butyl­tin(IV) oxide with nitric acid, represents the first diorganotin(IV) oxalate to be structurally characterized. The Sn(IV) atom of the one-dimensional coordination polymer is located on a mirror plane and is coordinated by two chelating oxalate ions with two rather different Sn—O bond lengths of 2.150 (1) and 2.425 (1) Å, and two t-butyl groups with Sn—C bond lengths of 2.186 (2) and 2.190 (2) Å. The coordination polyhedron around the Sn(IV) atom is a distorted tetra­gonal disphenoid. The centrosymmetric oxalate ion also has an asymmetric coordination geometry, as reflected by the two slightly different C—O bond lengths of 1.242 (2) and 1.269 (2) Å. The chains of the polymer propagate along the b-axis direction. Only van der Waals inter­actions are observed between the chains.