Bis{[phthalocyaninato(2-)]-arsenic(III)} tetradecaiodotetraarsenic(III)

Crystals of the novel title arsenic(III) phthalocyanine complex, [As(C32H16N8)](2)[As4I14] or [(AsPc)(+)](2).[As4I14](2-), where Pc is phthalocyaninate(2-), have been obtained by the reaction of pure powdered As with phthalonitrile under a stream of iodine vapour at 493 K. The crystals are built up of separate but interacting [AsPc](+) cations and [As4I12](2-) anions. The As atom of the [AsPc](+) unit is bonded to the four isoindole N atoms of the Pc macrocycle and lies 0.743 (2) Angstrom out of the plane defined by these four N atoms. The anionic part of the complex consists of AsI3 and [AsI4](-) units joined together into an [As4I14](2-) anion. The arrangement of the oppositely charged moieties, [AsPc](+) and [As4I14](2-), in the crystal is determined mainly by ionic attraction and by donor-acceptor interactions between the [AsPc](+) and [As4I14](2-) ions.