Structure and NMR properties of the dinuclear complex di-μ-azido-κ4 N 1:N 1-bis-[(azido-κN)(pyridine-2-carboxamide-κ2 N 1,O)zinc(II)].

The new diamagnetic complex, [Zn2(N3)4(C6H6N2O)2] or [Zn2(pca)2(μ1,1-N3)2(N3)2] was synthesized using pyridine-2-carboxamide (pca) and azido ligands, and characterized using various techniques: IR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction in the solid state, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in solution. The mol-ecule is placed on an inversion centre in space group P . The pca ligand chelates the metal centre via the pyridine N atom and the carbonyl O atom. One azido ligand bridges the two symmetry-related Zn2+ cations in the end-on coordination mode, while the other independent azido anion occupies the fifth coordination site, as a terminal ligand. The resulting five-coordinate Zn centres have a coordination geometry inter-mediate between trigonal bipyramidal and square pyramidal. The behaviour of the title complex in DMSO solution suggests that it is a suitable NMR probe for similar or isostructural complexes including other transition-metal ions. The diamagnetic nature of the complex is reflected in similar 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts for the free ligand pca as for the Zn complex.