An Old Crystallization Technique as a Fast, Facile, and Adaptable Method for Obtaining Single Crystals of Unstable "LiTCNQF" and New Compounds of TCNQ or TCNQF: Syntheses, Crystal Structures, and Magnetic Properties.

Detailed structural information is essential for understanding the properties of TCNQ and TCNQF compounds (TCNQ = 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane; TCNQF = 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane). The ineludible requirement of obtaining crystals of a size and quality sufficient to yield a successful X-ray diffraction analysis has been challenging to satisfy because of the instability of many of these compounds in solution. Crystals of two new complexes of TCNQ, [-M(2)(TCNQ)] [M = Ni (), Zn (); 2ampy = 2-aminomethylpyridine], as well as unstable [Li(TCNQF)(CHCN)]·CHCN (), can be prepared in minutes by a horizontal diffusion technique and can be harvested easily for X-ray structural studies.