Crystal structure of tris-[4-(di-methyl-amino)-pyridinium] tris-(oxalato-κ(2) O,O')chromate(III) tetra-hydrate.

In the title hybrid salt, (C7H11N2)3[Cr(C2O4)3]·4H2O, the central Cr(III) ion of the complex anion (point group symmetry 2) is coordinated by six O atoms from three chelating oxalate(2-) ligands in a slightly distorted octa-hedral coordination sphere. The Cr-O bond lengths vary from 1.9577 (11) to 1.9804 (11) Å, while the chelate O-Cr-O angles range from 82.11 (6) to 93.41 (5)°. The 4-(di-methyl-amino)-pyridinium cations (one situated in a general position and one on a twofold rotation axis) are protonated at the pyridine N atoms. In the crystal, N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the cations and anions into a three-dimensional network. π-π inter-actions between the pyridine rings of adjacent cations provide additional stabilization of the crystal packing, with the closest centroid-to-centroid distances being 3.541 (1) and 3.575 (1) Å.