mu-Oxalato-kappa O-4(1),O-2:O-1',O-2'-bis [aqua(2,2'-bipyridine-kappa N)(nitrato-kappa O-2,O')lead(II)]

The title compound, [Pb-2(C2O4)(NO3)(2)(C10H8N2)(2)(H2O)(2)], was synthesized hydrothermally. The binuclear complex molecule is centrosymmetric, the inversion centre being located at the mid-point of the oxalate C-C bond. The PbII ion is heptacoordinated by the O atom of one water molecule, two oxalate O atoms, two nitrate O atoms and two 2,2'-bipyridine N atoms, forming an irregular coordination environemnt. Intermolecular O-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonds between water molecules and oxalate and nitrate ions result in the formation of layers parallel to (010). pi-pi interactions between pyridine rings in adjacent layers, with centroidcentroid distances of 3.584 ( 2) angstrom, stabilize the structural setup.