The structures of two crystalline modifications of mer -(Pme2Ph)3H-cis-Cl2IrIII, (1), have been determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. Modification (A) is monoclinic, space group P21/c with a 12.635(1), b 30.605(3), c 14.992(2)Ǻ, β 110.01(2)° and Z = 8. Modification (B) is orthorhombic, space group Pbca with a
27.646(3), b 11.366(1), c 17.252(2)Ǻ and Z = 8. The structures were solved by conventional heavy atom techniques and refined by full-matrix least- squares analyses to conventional R values of 0.037 [(A), 8845 independent reflections] and 0.028 [(B), 5291 independent reflections]. Important bond lengths [Ǻ] are Ir -P(trans to Cl ) 2.249(1) av. (A) and 2.234(1) (B), Ir -P(trans to PMe2Ph) 2.339(2) av. (A) and 2.344(1), 2.352(1) (B), Ir-Cl (trans to H) 2.492(2), 2.518(2) (A) and 2.503(1) (B) and Ir-Cl (trans to PMe2Ph)2.452(2) av. (A) and 2.449(1)(B). Differences in chemically equivalent metal- ligand bond lengths emphasize the importance of non-bonded contacts in determining those lengths.
