Bis{2,6-bis[(E)-(4-fluorobenzylimino)methyl]pyridine}nickel(II) dinitrate dihydrate

Abstract

In the title hydrated salt, [Ni(C21H17F2N3)2](NO3)2·2H2O, the central NiII ion is coordinated by six N atoms from two tridentate chelating 2,6-bis[(E)-(4-fluorobenzylimino)methyl]pyridine ligands. While the central NiII ion is six-coordinate, its environment is distorted from an octahedral structure because of the unequal Ni—N distances. The Ni—N bond lengths vary from 1.8642 (14) to 2.2131 (15) Å, while the N—Ni—N angles range from 79.98 (6) to 104.44 (6)°. Three coordinating sites of each chelating agent are almost coplanar with respect to the pyridine ring, and two pyridine moieties are perpendicular to each other. Two non-coordinating nitrate anions within the asymmetric unit balance the charges of the central metal ion, and are linked with two crystal water molecules, forming a water–nitrate cyclic tetrameric unit [O...O = 2.813 (2) to 3.062 (2) Å]. In an isolated molecule, the fluorophenyl rings of one ligand are stacked with the central ring of the other ligand via π–π interactions, with the closest centroid-to-plane distances being 3.359 (6), 3.408 (5), 3.757 (6) and 3.659 (5) Å.