Fluoride crystal structures. Part XXVI. Bis[difluorobromonium(III)]hexafluorogermanate(IV)

Crystals of the title compound are monoclinic, space group P21/c, a= 5.07(1), b= 13.83(2), c= 6.45(1)Å, β= 116.6(3)°. The structure was solved by the heavy-atom technique and refined by three-dimensional least-squares methods to R 0.087 for 452 visually estimated reflections. The atomic arrangement is consistent with the ionic formulation [BrF2]+2[GeF6]2– but there are strong interactions between the ions through fluorine bridging giving endless chains parallel to the a axis. There is considerable distortion in the octahedral co-ordination of the germanium atom, and the bromine atoms have a distorted square planar co-ordination with two Br–F(terminal) and two Br–F(bridge) distances, means 1.71 and 2.21 Å.