Crystal structure, synthesis and thermal properties of bis­(4-benzoyl­pyridine-κN)bis­(iso­thio­cyanato-κN)bis­(methanol-κN)iron(II)

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Fe(NCS)(2)(C(12)H(9)NO)(2)(CH(4)O)(2)], the Fe(II) cations are octa­hedrally coordinated by two N atoms of 4-benzoyl­pyridine ligands, two N atoms of two terminal iso­thio­cyanate anions and two methanol mol­ecules into discrete complexes that are located on centres of inversion. These complexes are linked via inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the methanol O—H H atoms and the carbonyl O atoms of the 4-benzoyl­pyridine ligands, forming layers parallel to (101). Powder X-ray diffraction proved that a pure sample was obtained but that this compound is unstable and transforms into an unknown crystalline phase within several weeks. However, the solvent mol­ecules can be removed by heating in a thermobalance, which for the aged sample as well as the title compound leads to the formation of a compound with the composition Fe(NCS)(2)(4-benzoyl­pyridine)(2), which exhibits a powder pattern that is similar to that of Mn(NCS)(2)(4-benzoyl­pyridine)(2).