4,4'-Bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxymethyl)-2,2'-bipyridine.

As part of a homologous series of novel polyfluorinated bipyridyl (bpy) ligands, the title compound, C(16)H(14)F(6)N(2)O(2), contains the smallest fluorinated group, viz. CF(3). The molecule resides on a crystallographic inversion centre at the mid-point of the pyridine C(ipso)-C(ipso) bond. Therefore, the bpy skeleton lies in an anti conformation to avoid repulsion between the two pyridyl N atoms. Weak intramolecular C-H...N and C-H...O interactions are observed, similar to those in related polyfluorinated bpy-metal complexes. A pi-pi interaction is observed between the bpy rings of adjacent molecules and this is probably a primary driving force in crystallization. Weak intermolecular C-H...N hydrogen bonding is present between one of the CF(3)CH(2)- methylene H atoms and a pyridyl N atom related by translation along the [010] direction, in addition to weak benzyl-type C-H...F interactions to atoms of the terminal CF(3) group. It is of note that the O-CH(2)CF(3) bond is almost perpendicular to the bpy plane.