Bis[(mu-acetato[mu-bis(salicylidene-1,3-propanediaminoato]zinc(II)]zinc(II)

In the title linear trinuclear compound, [Zn[Zn(CH(3)COO)(C(17)H(16)N(2)O(2))](2)], the central Zn(2+) ion, which is located on an inversion centre, has a distorted octahedral coordination involving four bridging O atoms from two N,N'-bis(salicylidene)-1,3-propanediaminate ligands in the equatorial plane and one O atom from each bridging acetate group in the axial positions. The coordination around the terminal Zn(2+) ion is irregular square pyramidal, with two O and two N atoms of the ligand in the basal plane and one O atom from an acetate group in the apical position. The acetate bridges linking the central and terminal Zn(2+) ions are mutually trans. The Zn.Zn distance is 3.0520 (8) A. The relationship of this structure to that of [Zn[Cu(CH(3)COO)(C(17)H(16)N(2)O(2))](2)] is discussed.