Crystal structure and thermal properties of a square‐planar NiII complex of cyanide and a tricyclic bis‐amidine ligand formed in situ under solvothermal conditions

The reaction of N¹,N^1′‐(ethane‐1,2‐diyl)bis(propane‐1,3‐diamine) (bapen), K₂Ni(CN)₄]·H₂O and dimethylformamide in the presence of Gd(NO₃)₃·6H₂O under solvothermal conditions yielded yellow crystals of dicyanido(2,3,4,6,7,9,10,11‐octahydropyrimido2′,1′:3,4]pyrazino1,2‐a]pyrimidine)nickel(II) hemihydrate, Ni(CN)₂(C₁₀H₁₆N₄)]·0.5H₂O, (I), the crystal structure of which is composed of Ni(CN)₂(pdpm)] molecules (pdpm is 2,3,4,6,7,9,10,11‐octahydropyrimido2′,1′:3,4]pyrazino1,2‐a]pyrimidine) on general positions linked by O—H...N hydrogen bonds to water molecules located on twofold axes. This structural unit is further linked by nonclassical C—H...N interactions to form a warped two‐dimensional net perpendicular to the unit‐cell b axis. The nets are stacked, with C—H...O contacts joining successive units. The Ni^II cation is coordinated with square‐planar geometry by a chelating pdpm ligand and two cyanide ligands in mutually cis positions. Complex (I) is stable up to 360 K, at which point dehydration takes place; the ligands start to decompose at 558 K.