Bis(2-pyridylmethanol)bis(saccharinato)zinc(II) and -cadmium(II) at 120 K: three-dimensional structures containing both N-and O-coordinated ambidentate saccharinate ligands

The title complexes [M(sac)(2)(mpy)(2)] [sac is saccharinate (C7H4NO3S) and mpy is 2-pyridylmethanol (C6H7NO)], with M = Zn-II and Cd-II, are isostructural and consist of neutral molecules. The Zn-II or Cd-II cations are octahedrally coordinated by the two neutral mpy and two anionic sac ligands. The mpy ligand acts as a bidentate donor through the amine N and hydroxyl O atoms. The sac ligands exhibit an ambidentate coordination behaviour; one is N-coordinated and the other is O-coordinated within the same coordination octahedron. The crystal packing is determined by C-H...O-type hydrogen bonding, as well as by weak py-py and sac-sac aromatic pi-pi-stacking interactions.