Isostructural hybrid iodometalate(III)/triiodide salts with perovskite-like packing: comparison of physical properties for SbIII and BiIII complexes

Reactions of Sb₂O₃ or Bi₂O₃, 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpe) and diiodine in concentrated HI resulted in isostructural salts (H₂bpe)₂[MI₆](I₃) [M = Sb (1), Bi (2)] featuring perovskite-like arrangement of anions in crystal packing. Physical properties, including UV-Vis and Raman spectra, as well as thermal stability, were investigated and compared for this pair of complexes; the optical band gaps for 1 and 2 are 1.32 and 1.57 eV, respectively.