A tetra­nuclear cubane-like nickel(II) complex with a tridentate salicyl­­idene­imine Schiff base ligand: tetra­kis­[μ3-4-methyl-N-(2-oxidophen­yl)salicylideneiminato]tetra­kis­[methano­lnickel(II)] methanol 0.8-solvate

The tetra­nuclear title complex, [Ni4(C14H11NO2)4(CH3OH)4]·0.8CH3OH, has a distorted cubane topology shaped by four Schiff base ligands. The cubane [Ni4(μ3-O4)] core is formed via the O atoms from the Schiff base ligands. The octa­hedrally coordinated NiII ions occupy alternating vertices of the cube. Each NiII ion is coordinated by one O,N,O′-tridentate dianionic ligand, two O atoms of oxidophenyl groups from adjacent ligands and the O atom of a coordinating methanol mol­ecule. The cubane core is stabilized via an intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond between the hy­droxy group of the coordinating methanol mol­ecules and the phenolate O atom of the aldehyde Schiff base fragment. Additional stabilization is obtained via intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving aromatic C—H groups and the oxygen atoms of adjacent methanol mol­ecules. In the crystal, complex mol­ecules are linked into chains parallel to the c axis via weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The partial-occupancy disordered methanol solvent mol­ecule has a site occupancy of 0.8 and is linked to the tetra­nuclear unit via an inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond involving a phenolate O atom.