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)(CH(3)CN)(2)(C(12)H(9)NO)(2)] or Ni(NCS)(2)(4-benzoyl­pyridine)(2)(aceto­nitrile)(2), the Ni(II) 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 Co(II), Ni(II) and Cd(II) 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.