A new tricarbonylrhenium(I) compound incorporating the tridentate ligand N,N-bispicolyl-2-ethanolamine.

The title compound, {[N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amino]ethanol-kappa(3)N,N',N''}tricarbonylrhenium(I) bromide methanol solvate, [Re(C14H17N3O)(CO)3]Br.CH4O, has been prepared in almost quantitative yield by reacting (NEt4)2[Re(CO)3Br3] with the ligand N,N-bispicolyl-2-ethanolamine in refluxing methanol. The X-ray structure revealed that the Re(CO)3N3 coordination sphere is highly distorted from octahedral geometry and that the Re(CO)3 core is facial. The coordinated ligand forms two five-membered rings, with the pyridine rings in a butterfly formation. The OH group is not involved in metal coordination. The packing of the molecule shows a network of classical O...H-O and Br...H-O, and non-classical Br...H-C and O...H-C hydrogen bonds between the methanol solvate molecules, the metal complex cations and the bromide anions.