μ-Benzene-1,2,4,5-­tetra­carbo­xylato-κ²O¹:O⁴)­bis-[aqua-­bis-2-(amino­methyl) pyridine-κ²N,N′) nickel (II)] decahydrate, [Ni₂(amp)₄(btc)(H₂O)₂]10H₂O has been synthesized and its crystal structure determined by X-ray diffraction. The complex crystallizes in the Monoclinic space group P2₁/n with cell dimensions a = 11.0102 (10) Å, b = 21.5416 (19) Å, c = 11.0445 (10) Å and β = 118.753 (1)°, and two formula units per cell (Z = 2, Z′ = 0.5).
The structure consists of centrosymmetric dimeric units in which the benzene tetracarboxylate anions (btc) bridge the symmetry-related nickel (II) cations, two bidentate chelating molecules of 2-(aminomethyl) pyridine and a terminal aqua ligand completing the six-fold coordination at each metal. These dimers link to each other via H-bonding to form chains parallel to [100], while the water solvates form a strongly bound 2D network parallel to (100), made up by small (R⁴₄(8)) and large (R²⁰₂₀(40)) rings, the latter ones “pierced” by the chains of dimmers, with a profuse H-bonding interconnection between both substructures.
Magnetic susceptibility measurements as a function of temperature disclose weak interdimeric exchange interactions. Fitting of these data to a dimeric model yields J = -3.5 cm^-1 and g = 2.13.