An Unprecedented Trinuclear Nickel(II) Complex Assembled from an Asymmetric Salamo-Type Ligand

An unprecedented trinuclear Ni(II) complex assembled from an asymmetric Salamo-type ligand 6-ethoxy- 4′,6′-dichloro-2,2′-[(1,3-propylene)dioxybis(nitrilomethylidyne)]diphenol (H2L) is synthesized. The Ni(II) complex with the general formula [Ni3(L)2(μ3-OAc)2]·3CH3CN is characterized by IR, UV-vis, and fluorescence spectra and the single crystal X-ray analysis. All the Ni(II) atoms are hexacoordinated with slightly distorted octahedral symmetries. Interestingly, each Ni(II) atom is not located on the N2O2 cavity of the asymmetric Salamo-type (L)2– unit, and two μ3-OAc ions adopt an uncommon μ3-η2:η1 binding mode connecting the Ni1, Ni2, and Ni3 atoms. Furthermore, the crystallizing acetonitrile molecules successfully assemble into an infinite 2D network by hydrogen bonding and C–H···π interactions.