A new monoclinic polymorph of ferrocenecarboxylic anhydride, [Fe2(C5H5)2(C12H8O3)], was obtained. Three molecules are present in the asymmetric unit, two of them being nearly identical (r.m.s. deviation = 0.11 Å), with the Fe atoms on the same side of the anhydride functional group. In the third molecule, the two Fe atoms are located at opposite sides of the functional group (ferrocene-ferrocene pseudo-torsion angle = 146.2°), a very unsual feature in metallocene anhydrides. A network of weak intermolecular hydrogen bonds was also disclosed.
Keywords: acid anhydride; crystal structure; ferrocene; hydrogen bonds; metallocene anhydride; polymorph.