A compound of a novel tetraaza-macrocycle with trinuclear tetracyanonickelate-bridged cations.

The cation of the title compound, [Cu(L)], is formed by Michael condensation of (4,6,6-trimethyl-3,7-diazanon-3-ene1,9-diamine)copper(II) with methanal and nitropropane. This cation forms a tetracyanonickelate(II) compound, the unit cell of which contains two centrosymmetric tetracyanonickelate(II)-bridged trinuclear cations, namely diaqua1,3 O-di-cyano-1:2 C:N;1:3 C:N-dicyano-1 C-bis(13-ethyl-5,7,7-trimethyl-13-nitro-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradec-4-ene)-2 N,N,N,N;3 N,N,N,N-dicopper(II)nickel(II) di-cyano-1:2 C:N;1:3 C:N-dicyano-1 C-bis(13-ethyl-5,7,7-trimethyl-13-nitro-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradec-4-ene)-2 N,N,N,N;3 N,N,N,N-dicopper(II)nickel(II) bis[tetracyanonickelate(II)] octahydrate, [Cu2Ni(CN)4(C15H31N5O2)2(H2O)2][Cu2Ni(CN)4(C15H31N5O2)2][Ni(CN)4]2 8H2O. One cation, [(L)Cu±NC±Ni(CN)2±CN± Cu(L)], has an axially coordinated bridging [Ni(CN)4] 2ÿ ion, with a CuÐN distance of 2.226 (3) AÊ and a CuÐNÐC angle of 168.2 (3) . The other cation, [(H2O)(L)Cu±NC± Ni(CN)2±CN±Cu(L)(OH2)] , has water axially coordinated trans to a weakly bound bridging [Ni(CN)4] 2ÿ ion, with a CuÐ O distance of 2.396 (3) AÊ , a CuÐN distance of 2.677 (4) AÊ , an OÐCuÐN angle of 168.7 (1) and a CuÐNÐC angle of 137.7 (3) . These cations, plus independent [Ni(CN)4] 2ÿ ions and water molecules, are linked into a hydrogen-bonded network. All [Ni(CN)4] 2ÿ ions are on centres of symmetry.