Crystal structure of di-μ-chlorido-bis(chlorido­{N (1)-phenyl-N (4)-[(pyridin-2-yl-κN)methyl­idene]benzene-1,4-di­amine-κN (4)}mercury(II))

The whole mol­ecule of the title complex, [Hg(2)Cl(4)(C(18)H(15)N(3))(2)], is generated by inversion symmetry. It was synthesized from the pyridine-derived Schiff base N-phenyl-N′-[(pyridin-2-yl)methyl­idene]benzene-1,4-di­amine (PPMBD). The five-coordinated Hg(2+) ions have a distorted square-pyramidal environment defined by two N atoms, viz. the imine and the other pyridyl [Hg—N = 2.467 (6) and 2.310 (6) Å, respectively] belonging to the bidentate imino­pyridine ligand, and three Cl atoms [Hg—Cl = 2.407 (2), 2.447 (2) and 3.031 (2) Å]. The longest Hg—Cl bond is bridging about the inversion centre. In the ligand, the central ring and pyridine ring are oriented at a dihedral angle of 8.1 (4)°, while the planes of the pyridine ring and the terminal phenyl ring are oriented at a dihedral angle of 53.8 (4)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by N—H⋯Cl and C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds, forming sheets parallel to (001).