Bis[μ-1,4-bis­(4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)benzene-κ(2) N (3):N (3′)]silver(I) dinitrate dihydrate

The reaction of 1,4-bis­(4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)benzene (bib) with silver(I) nitrate in a 1:1 molar ratio generates the metallacyclic title complex, [Ag(2)(C(12)H(14)N(4))(2)](NO(3))(2)·2H(2)O, in which the bib ligand displays a cis configuration. Each bib ligand acts as a bidentate bridging ligand connecting a pair of Ag(I) ions to form a [2 + 2] metallamacrocycle in which the Ag⋯Ag distance is 6.77 (2) Å. Each Ag(I) ion has weak contacts (2.91 Å) with the nitrate anion. The uncoordinated water mol­ecules make hydrogen bonds with nitrate O atoms, forming chains. The H atoms attached to the uncoordinated nitro­gen inter­act with these chains through N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming layers parallel to the ([Image: see text]11) plane.