Dichloro[(1E,1'E)-1,1'-(pyridine-2,6-diyl)diethanone bis(O-methyloxime)-?3N1,N2,N 6]copper(II)

In the title compound, [CuCl2(C11H15N 3O2)], the CuII ion is five-coordinated in a strongly distorted trigonal-bipyramidal arrangement, with the two methyloxime N atoms located in the apical positions, and the pyridine N and the Cl atoms located in the basal plane. The two axial Cu - N distances are almost equal (mean 2.098 Å) and are substantially longer than the equatorial Cu-N bond [1.9757 (15) Å]. It is observed that the N(oxime)-M-N(pyridine) bond angle for five-membered chelate rings of 2,6-diacetylpyridine dioxime complexes is inversely related to the magnitude of the M-N(pyridine) bond. The structure is stabilized by intra- and intermolecular C-H?Cl hydrogen bonds which involve the methyl H atoms, except for one of the two acetylmethyl groups. © 2006 International Union of Crystallography.