A half‐salamo‐based pyridine‐containing ligand and its novel NiII complexes including different auxiliary ligands: syntheses, structures, fluorescence properties, DFT calculations and Hirshfeld surface analysis.

Three novel multinuclear NiII complexes, namely, bis{μ‐2‐methoxy‐6‐[8‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐3,6‐dioxa‐2,7‐diazaocta‐1,7‐dien‐1‐yl]phenolato}bis[thiocyanatonickel(II)], [Ni2(L)2(NCS)2], 1, bis{μ‐2‐methoxy‐6‐[8‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐3,6‐dioxa‐2,7‐diazaocta‐1,7‐dien‐1‐yl]phenolato}bis[azidonickel(II)], [Ni2(L)2(N3)2], 2, and catena‐poly[[{2‐methoxy‐6‐[8‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐3,6‐dioxa‐2,7‐diazaocta‐1,7‐dien‐1‐yl]phenolato}nickel(II)]‐μ‐dicyanamidato], [Ni(L)(dca)]n, 3 {dca is dicyanamide, C2N3, and HL is 2‐methoxy‐6‐[8‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐3,6‐dioxa‐2,7‐diazaocta‐1,7‐dien‐1‐yl]phenol, C16H17N3O4}, with a half‐salamo‐based pyridine‐containing HL ligand have been synthesized and characterized by FT–IR, UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, X‐ray crystallography, Hirshfeld surface analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The central NiII ions in complexes 1–3 are hosted in the half‐salamo‐based N3O‐donor cavity of the organic ligand. Complex 1 is a centrosymmetric dimer and two [Ni(L)(NCS)] units form a centrosymmetric dimeric structure, which is bridged by two phenolate O atoms. The two N atoms at the axial ends are provided by two NCS− ligands. In complex 1, each NiII ion has a six‐coordinated octahedral geometry. Complex 2 is similar to 1, but they differ in that the auxiliary NCS− ligand is replaced by N3−. However, complex 3 is a one‐dimensional coordination polymer constructed from [Ni(L)(dca)] units, which are connected by the auxiliary bidentate dca ligand viaN‐donor atoms. As with complexes 1 and 2, the NiII ion in 3 has a six‐coordinated octahedral geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]