Crystal and molecular structures of two nickel maleonitriledithiolate complexes containing 1-methyl-3-(2′-nitryl-4′-bromo-benzyl)-imidazolium cations

Two new ion-pair complexes, [NO2BrBzIm]2[Ni(mnt)2] 1, [NO2BrBzIm][Ni(mnt)2] 2, where [NO2BrBzIm]+=1-methyl-3-(2′-nitro-4′-bromobenzyl)imidazolium, mnt2−=maleonitriledithiolate, have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The single crystal structure analyses show that in the dianionic complex 1 cations and anions are intermingled each other and stacked along the c-axis with an ACCACC-type repeat unit, whereas the monoanionic complex 2 forms a well-segregated stacking column structure in the solid state.