Crystal structure and void analysis of tris-(2-amino-1-methyl-benzimidazolium) hexa-kis-(nitrato-κ(2) O,O')lanthanate(III).

The organic-inorganic complex salt, (C(8)H(10)N(3))(3)[La(NO(3))(6)], comprises a network of N-protonated 2-amino-1-methyl-benzimidazolium cations and hexa-kis-(nitrato)lanthanate(III) anions. The La(III) atom is twelve-coordinate within a distorted icosa-hedral environment. In the unit cell, each pair of the La(III) atoms lie nearly on one of the crystallographic glide planes. In the crystal structure, there are several N-H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter-actions between the cations and terminal oxygen atoms from the nitrate moieties of the [La(NO(3))(6)](3-) anion. Additional weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the cations and anions consolidate the three-dimensional arrangement of the structure. A packing analysis was performed to check the strength of the crystal packing.