Group 2 metal salts of pyromellitic acid: [Mg(H2O)6](C10H4O8) and [Ba(C10H4O8)(H2O)5]

Structural determinations of the magnesium(II) and barium(II) salts of pyromellitic acid (benzene‐1,2,4,5‐tetra­carboxyl­ic acid) are presented. Hexa­aqua­magnesium(II) benzene‐1,2,4,5‐tetra­carboxyl­ate(2−), [Mg(H₂O)₆](C₁₀H₄O₈), (I), and penta­aqua­[benzene‐1,2,4,5‐tetra­carboxyl­ato(2−)]­barium(II), [Ba(C₁₀H₄O₈)(H₂O)₅], (II), are both centrosymmetric and both possess a 1:1 metal–ligand ratio, but the two structures are found to differ in that the magnesium salt contains a hexaaqua cation and possesses only hydrogen‐bonding interactions between cations and anions, while the barium salt exhibits coordination of the carboxyl­ate ligand to the nine‐coordinate metal centre. In (I), both ions sit on a 2/m site symmetry, and in (II), the cation and anion are located on m and i site symmetries, respectively.