Anhydrous lead(II) heptanoate

The title compound, catena-poly[[(heptanoato-O,O')lead(II)]-mu -heptanoato- O,O' :O:O'], [Pb(C7H13O2)(2)], is a metallic soap which can be used as a co rrosion inhibitor since it forms a passive film at the Pb surface. Its stru cture is characterized by two-dimensional layers parallel to the bc plane. The layers are packed through van der Waals interactions along the a direct ion and form blocks parallel to (001). The 6s(2) lone pair of electrons on Pb-II is stereochemically active in this compound, which leads to a hemidir ected octahedral geometry for the O-environment around the Pb atoms.