Nickel(II) chloride adducts of 4′-phenyl-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine

The reaction of 4′-phenyl-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine I with nickel(II) chloride gives a 1:1 adduct which we have structurally characterised and shown to be comprised of two species of stoichiometry {Ni(I)Cl2}; the first is a five-coordinate [Ni(I)Cl2] complex and the other is a dinuclear species containing two six-coordinate nickel centres [(I)ClNi(μ-Cl)2Ni(I)Cl].