The synthesis and crystal structure of 2-(chloro-selan-yl)pyridine 1-oxide: the first monomeric organoselenenyl chloride stabilized by an intra-molecular secondary Se⋯O inter-action.

The title compound, C5H4ClNOSe, is the product of the reaction of sulfuryl chloride and 2-selanyl-1-pyridine 1-oxide in di-chloro-methane. The mol-ecule has an almost planar geometry (r.m.s. deviation = 0.012 Å), and its mol-ecular structure is stabilized by an intra-molecular secondary Se⋯O inter-action of 2.353 (3) Å, closing a four-membered N-C-Se⋯O ring. The title compound represents the first monomeric organoselenenyl chloride stabilized intra-molecularly by an inter-action of this type. The non-valent attractive Se⋯O inter-action results in a substantial distortion of the geometry of the ipso-carbon atom. The endo-cyclic N-C-Se [102.1 (3)°] and exo-cyclic C-C-Se [136.9 (3)°] bond angles deviate significantly from the ideal value of 120° for an sp2-hybridized carbon atom, the former bond angle being much smaller than the latter. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming zigzag chains propagating along [010]. The chains, which stack along the a-axis direction, are linked by offset π-π inter-actions [inter-centroid distance = 3.960 (3) Å], forming corrugated sheets parallel to the ab plane.