The complex of zinc chloride and 2-amino-4,6-dimethyloxyl pyrimidine (AMP) was prepared, and the composition of the complex was determined by chemical and elemental analyses. Complex was characterized by IR, XPS, H-1 NMR and TG-DTG techniques. In addition X-ray structural analysis was performed. Crystals of [Zn(AMP)(2)Cl-2] revealed the following parameters: M-r = 446.59; orthorhombic Pbca; a = 13.0208 (10); b = 13.8531 (11); c = 20.0652 (15)Angstrom; V = 3619.3 (5) Angstrom(3); Z = 8; D-calc = 1.639 Mg m(-3); Mo Kalpha lambda = 0.71073 Angstrom; mu = 1.683 mm(-1): T = 293 K: R = 0.0431 for 2510 observed reflections. The constant-volume combustion energies of the ligand and the complex, A, E, were determined by a precise rotating-bomb calorimeter at 298.15 K. They were -3340.01 +/- 1.54 and -6552.76 +/- 3.55 kJ mol(-1), respectively. Their standard enthalpy of combustion, Delta(c)H(m)(theta), and standard enthalpy of formation, Delta(f)H(m)(theta), were calculated, which were -3339.39 +/- 1.54, -6546.56 +/- 3.35 and -307.91 +/- 1.74, -995.10 +/- 3.93 kJ mol(-1). (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.