Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of hexakis(μ-benzoato-κ2O:O′)bis(pyridine-3-carbonitrile-κN1)trizinc(II)

The asymmetric unit of the title complex contains one half of the complex mol­ecule, one and a half ZnII cations, three benzoate (Bnz) and one pyridine-3-carbo­nitrile (CPy) mol­ecule; the Bnz anions act as bidentate ligands through the carboxyl­ate O atoms, while the Cpy anion acts as a monodentate N(pyridine)-bonding ligand. The complete centrosymmetric trinuclear complex thus comprises a linear array of three ZnII cations. In the crystal, the Bnz anions link to the Cpy N atoms via weak C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming a two-dimensional network. The Hirshfeld surface analysis confirms the role of H-atom contacts in establishing the packing.

The asymmetric unit of the title complex, [Zn3(C7H5O2)6(C6H4N2)2], contains one half of the complex mol­ecule, i.e. one and a half ZnII cations, three benzoate (Bnz) and one pyridine-3-carbo­nitrile (Cpy) mol­ecule; the Bnz anions act as bidentate ligands through the carboxyl­ate O atoms, while the Cpy ligand acts as a monodentate N(pyridine)-bonding ligand. The complete centrosymmetric trinuclear complex thus comprises a linear array of three ZnII cations. The central ZnII cation shows an octa­hedral coordination and is bridged to each of the terminal ZnII cations by three Bnz anions. By additional coordination of the CPy ligand, the terminal ZnII cations adopt a trigonal–pyramidal coordination environment. In the crystal, the Bnz anions link to the Cpy N atoms via weak C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming a two-dimensional network. C—H⋯π and π–π inter­actions [between the benzene and pyridine rings of adjacent mol­ecules with an inter­centroid distance of 3.850 (4) Å] help to consolidate a three-dimensional architecture. The Hirshfeld surface analysis confirms the role of H-atom contacts in establishing the packing.