μ-Carbonato-bis­(bis­{2-[(diethyl­amino)­meth­yl]phen­yl}bis­muth(III))

The mol­ecular structure of the title compound, [Bi(2)(C(11)H(16)N)(4)(CO(3))], consists of a symmetrically bridging carbonato group which binds two [2-Et(2)NCH(2)C(6)H(4)](2)Bi units that are crystallographically related via a twofold rotation axis bis­ecting the carbonate group. The two Bi atoms and two of the C atoms directly bonded to bis­muth are quasi-planar [deviations of 0.323 (1) and 0.330 (9)Å for the Bi and C atoms, respectively] with the carbonate group. The remaining two ligands are in a trans arrangement relative to the quasi-planar (CBi)(2)CO(3) system. The metal atom is strongly coordinated by the N atom of one pendant arm [Bi—N = 2.739 (6) Å], almost trans to the O atom, while the N atom of the other pendant arm exhibits a weaker intra­molecular inter­action [Bi⋯N = 3.659 (7) Å] almost trans to a C atom. If both these intra­molecular N→Bi inter­actions per metal atom are considered, the overall coordination geometry at bis­muth becomes distorted square-pyramidal [(C,N)(2)BiO cores] and the compound can be described as a hypervalent 12-Bi-5 species. Additional quite short intra­molecular Bi⋯O inter­actions are also present [3.796 (8)–4.020 (9) Å]. Inter­molecular associations through weak η(6)⋯Bi inter­actions [Bi⋯centroid of benzene ring = 3.659 (1) Å] lead to a ribbon-like supra­molecular association.