(2,2′-Bipyrid­yl-κ²N,N′)bis­(η⁵-penta­methyl­cyclo­penta­dien­yl)barium

In the title compound, [Ba(C₁₀H₁₅)₂(C₁₀H₈N₂)], the Ba—N distances are 2.798 (3) and 2.886 (3) Å, and the Cp ring centroid distances to Ba²⁺ are 2.7291 (7) and 2.7192 (9) Å. The angle between the N atoms in the bypyridine ligand and the metal ion is 56.80 (8)° and the N—C—C—N torsion angle in the bi­pyridine ligand is 1.7 (4)°. The bi­pyridine ligand is almost planar, the dihedral angle formed by the intersection of the planes defined by the pyridyl rings being 3.04 (19)°, and the angle between the plane defined by the Ba²⁺ ion and the two bipyridyl N atoms and the plane defined by the 12 atoms of the bi­pyridine ligand is 10.2 (3)°. The average Ba—N and Ba—centroid distances are 0.16 and 0.14 Å longer, respectively, than the equivalent distances in the isotypic strontium compound [Kazhdan et al. (2008). Acta Cryst. E64, m1134]. This difference is in accord with the difference between the ionic radii of 0.16 Å suggested by Shannon [Acta Cryst. (1976), A32, 751–767].