Two new oximate-bridged square-planar dinuclear nickel(II) complexes

The synthesis and characterization of two new dinuclear nickel(II) complexes, namely bis­{[mu]-3-[2-(dimethyl­amino)­ethyl­imino]butan-2-one oximato}dinickel(II) bis­(perchlorate) acetonitrile solvate, [Ni₂(C₈H₁₆N₃O)₂](ClO₄)₂·CH₃CN, (I), and bis­{[mu]-3-[2-(dimethyl­amino)ethyl­imino]-3-phenyl­propan-2-one oximato}dinickel(II) bis­(perchlorate), [Ni₂(C₁₃H₁₈N₃O)₂](ClO₄)₂, (II), are reported. Single-crystal X-ray analyses of the complexes reveal that the nickel(II) ions are in square-planar N₃O environments and form six-membered (NiNO)₂ metallacycles. The cation in (II) possesses crystallographically imposed inversion symmetry.