Poly[bis­[μ(2)-4,4′-bis­(imidazol-1-ylmeth­yl)biphenyl-κ(2) N:N′]di­chlorido­nickel(II)]

In the title compound, [NiCl(2)(C(20)H(18)N(4))(2)]( n ), the Ni(2+) cation is situated on an inversion center and is coordinated by two chloride ions and four imidazole N atoms of four different 4,4′-bis­[(1H-imidazol-1-yl)meth­yl]-1,1′-biphenyl (BIMB), forming a slightly distorted octa­hedral geometry. Each BIMB ligand adopts a linear linker to connect Ni(2+) ions, forming a two-dimensional layer with an sql network. In the crystal, neighboring layers repeat in an ABAB stacking mode, and weak inter­molecular C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds between alternate layers lead to a three-dimensional, twofold inter­penetrated, supra­molecular framework with a pcu topology net. [Image: see text]