Bis{μ-2,2′-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(nitrilo­methyl­idyne)]diphenolato}dinickel(II)

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Ni(2)(C(16)H(14)N(2)O(2))(2)], contains an Ni(II) cation which is coordinated by two imine N atoms and by two phenolate O atoms of the salen ligand {salen = N,N′-bis­(salicyl­idene)ethane-1,2-diamine or 2,2′-[ethane-1,2-diyl­bis(nitrilo­methyl­idyne)]diphenol}, leading to a distorted square-planar conformation. When a secondary Ni—O inter­action > 2.41 Å to the neighbouring phenolate O atom is considered, two mol­ecules are linked into a centrosymmetric dimer with an overall square-pyramidal coordination for the Ni(II) cation. Weak π–π inter­actions with a shortest interplanar distance of 3.704 Å help to stabilize the crystal structure.