Crystal structure of catena-poly[[[tetra-aqua-iron(II)]- trans-μ-1,2-bis-(pyridin-4-yl)ethene-κ²N: N'] bis-(p-toluene-sulfonate) methanol disolvate]

In the title polymeric complex, {[Fe(C₁₂H₁₀N₂)₂(H₂O)₄](CH₃C₆H₄SO₃)₂·2CH₃OH} _n , the Fe^II cation, located on an inversion centre, is coordinated by four water mol-ecules in the equatorial positions and two 1,2-bis-(pyridin-4-yl)ethene mol-ecules in the axial positions. This results in a distorted octa-hedral geometry for the [N₂O₄] coordination polyhedron. The 1,2-bis-(pyridin-4-yl)ethene mol-ecules bridge the Fe^II cations, forming polymeric chains running along the a-axis direction. Stabilization of the crystal structure is provided by O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds; these are formed by coordinated water mol-ecules as donors towards the O atoms of the methanol mol-ecules and tosyl-ate anions as acceptors of protons, leading to the formation of a three-dimensional supra-molecular network. Weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds are also observed in the crystal.