Two nickel(II) bis[(pyridin-2-yl)methyl]amine complexes with homophthalic and benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylic acids.

Two new Ni(II) complexes involving the ancillary ligand bis[(pyridin-2-yl)methyl]amine (bpma) and two different carboxylate ligands, i.e. homophthalate [hph; systematic name: 2-(2-carboxylatophenyl)acetate] and benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylate (btc), namely catena-poly[[aqua{bis[(pyridin-2-yl)methyl]amine-κ(3)N,N',N''}nickel(II)]-μ-2-(2-carboxylatophenyl)aceteto-κ(2)O:O'], [Ni(C9H6O4)(C12H13N3)(H2O)]n, and (μ-benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylato-κ(4)O(1),O(2):O(4),O(5))bis(aqua{bis[(pyridin-2-yl)methyl]amine-κ(3)N,N',N''}nickel(II)) bis(triaqua{bis[(pyridin-2-yl)methyl]amine-κ(3)N,N',N''}nickel(II)) benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylate hexahydrate, [Ni2(C10H2O8)(C12H13N3)2(H2O)2]·[Ni(C12H13N3)(H2O)3]2(C10H2O8)·6H2O, (II), are presented. Compound (I) is a one-dimensional polymer with hph acting as a bridging ligand and with the chains linked by weak C-H···O interactions. The structure of compound (II) is much more complex, with two independent Ni(II) centres having different environments, one of them as part of centrosymmetric [Ni(bpma)(H2O)]2(btc) dinuclear complexes and the other in mononuclear [Ni(bpma)(H2O)3](2+) cations which (in a 2:1 ratio) provide charge balance for btc(4-) anions. A profuse hydrogen-bonding scheme, where both coordinated and crystal water molecules play a crucial role, provides the supramolecular linkage of the different groups.