Copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes of pyridine‐2,6‐di­carboxyl­ic acid

The title compounds, bis­(pyridine‐2,6‐di­carboxyl­ato‐N,O,O′)copper(II) monohydrate, [Cu(C₇H₄NO₄)₂]·H₂O, andbis(pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylato‐N,O,O′)zinc(II) trihydrate, [Zn(C₇H₄NO₄)₂]·3H₂O, have distorted octahedral geometries about the metal centres. Both metal ions are bonded to four O atoms and two pyridyl‐N atoms from the two terdentate ligand mol­ecules, which are nearly perpendicular to each other. The copper(II) complex has twofold crystallographic symmetry and contains two different ligand mol­ecules, one of which is neutral and another doubly ionized. In contrast, the zinc(II) complex contains two identical singly ionized ligand mol­ecules. Both crystal structures are stabilized by O—H?O intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the complex and the water mol­ecules.