Caffeine complexes of platinum(II): crystal structure of cis-[Pt(C8H10N4O2)2Cl2]·0.4H2O

The preparations are reported of cis[Pt(caffeine)₂Cl₂]·0.4H₂O, Pd(caffeine)₂Cl₂, the methanol adduct of the previously known compound K[Pt(caffeine)Cl₃], and Pt(caffeine)(cytidine)Cl₂. Crystals of [Pt(caffeine)₂Cl₂]·0.4H₂O are tetragonal P4₂/n with a = 13.156(2) 0?, c = 12.734(2) 0?, Z = 4. The structure was refined on 945 reflections to R = 0.025. The molecule is cis with a crystallographic two-fold axis bisecting the ClPtCl and NPtN angles. The Pt is square planar with PtN and PtCl bonds of 2.029(5) Å and 2.271(2) Å respectively. There is a 5.4° dihedral angle between the imidazole and pyrimidine rings, and the imidazole ring is rotated away from the coordination plane by 86.4°. Symmetry related caffeine units pack parallel to each other with an inter-ring separation of 3.45 Å.