(IUCr) Crystallography Journals Online

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Acta Cryst. (2003). E59, m576-m578 [ doi:10.1107/S160053680301479X ]

Bis(diethylenetriamine)nickel(II) tetracyanonickelate(II)

I. Muga, P. Vitoria, S. Reinoso and J. M. Gutiérrez-Zorrilla

Abstract: The structure determination of the title compound, [Ni(C₄H₁₃N₃)₂][Ni(CN)₄], reveals the presence of a complex [Ni(dien)₂]²⁺ cation (dien is diethylenetriamine) and a pair of crystallographically independent half-complex [Ni(CN)₄]^2- anions in the asymmetric unit. The Ni atoms of the anions lie on crystallographic inversion centres. In the cationic unit, the ligand geometry around the nickel(II) is distorted octahedral, with the two dien ligands coordinated in mer fashion, whereas in the anionic unit, the geometry of the nickel(II) atom is square planar. The crystal structure shows a three-dimensional hydrogen-bonding network involving alternating anionic and cationic rows placed in the (1 $\overline 1$ 1) plane.