Crystal structure, synthesis and thermal properties of bis­­(aceto­nitrile-κN)bis­­(4-benzoyl­pyridine-κN)bis­­(iso­thio­cyanato-κN)nickel(II)

In the crystal structure of the title com­pound, [Ni(NCS)2(CH3CN)2(C12H9NO)2] or Ni(NCS)2(4-benzoyl­pyridine)2(aceto­nitrile)2, the NiII ions are octa­hedrally coordinated by the N atoms of two thio­cyanate anions, two 4-benzoyl­pyridine ligands and two aceto­nitrile mol­ecules into discrete com­plexes that are located on centres of inversion. In the crystal, the discrete com­plexes are linked by centrosymmetric pairs of weak C—H⋯S hydrogen bonds into chains. Thermogravimetric measurements prove that, upon heating, the title com­plex loses the two aceto­nitrile ligands and transforms into a new crystalline modification of the chain com­pound [Ni(NCS)2(4-benzoyl­pyridine)2], which is different from that of the corresponding CoII, NiII and CdII coordination polymers reported in the literature. IR spectroscopic investigations indicate the presence of bridging thio­cyanate anions but the powder pattern cannot be indexed and, therefore, this structure is unknown.