Acta Cryst. (2007). E63, m1905  [ doi:10.1107/S1600536807028371 ]

A tetranuclear nickel(II) cluster: bis[₃-2,6-bis(methylamino)pyridine(2-)-⁴N²:N¹,N⁶:N⁶]bis[₃-2,6-bis(methylamino)pyridine(1-)-³N¹:N²:N²]dichloridotetranickel(II)

F. A. Cotton, C. A. Murillo and Q. Wang

Abstract: The title compound, [Ni₄(C₇H₉N₃)₂(C₇H₁₀N₃)₂Cl₂], was obtained from a reaction in which 2,6-dimethylaminopyridine, in the presence of methyllithium used to deprotonate the organic ligand precursor, was added to NiCl₂ during an attempt to synthesize a linear trinuclear nickel chain. During this reaction, two equivalents of the amine were fully deprotonated, forming dianions, and the three N atoms coordinate to Ni centers. The other two equivalents of the amine were only partially deprotonated, giving monoanions in which only two N atoms coordinate to Ni centers. In this tetranuclear complex, two of the four Ni atoms have square-planar coordination and are bonded to four N donors, while the other two are in a distorted tetrahedral geometry, with three coordination sites occupied by N donors and the fourth by a Cl atom. The molecule is noncentrosymmetic but the crystal structure is racemic.

Online 15 June 2007

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