The crystallochemistry of tetracyanocomplexes. The crystal and molecular structures of tris(1,2-diaminoethane)zinc(II) tetracyanoniccolate(II) monohydrate and tris(1,2-diaminoethane)zinc(II) tetracyanoniccolate(II)

C₁₀H₂₆N₁₀ONiZn, tris(1,2-diaminoethane) zinc(II) tetrakis(cyano)niccolate(II) monohydrate (I), orthorhombic, Pbca, a = 1.1680(4), b = 1.5844(3), c = 1.9981(6) nm, Z = 8 d(meas) = 1.54, d(calc) = 1.53 g cm^?3. C₁₀H₂₄N₁₀NiZn, tris(1,2-diaminoethane) zinc(II) terakis(cyano)niccolate(II), (II), monoclinic, P2₁/n, a = 0.7957(2), b = 1.5170(5), c = 1.4932(4) nm, β = 96.41(2)°, Z = 4, d(meas) = 1.49, d(calc) = 1.51 g cm^?3. Both the structures (I) and (II) have been solved by the heavy atom method and refined by full-matrix least-squares to R(I) = 0.086 for 1890 independent reflections and R(II) = 0.058 for 1689 independent reflections, respectively. In the case of (II) the superlattice structure problem was solved. The crystal structure of (I) consists of Zn(en)₃]²⁺ cations, Ni(CN)₄]^2? anions and water molecules. Two of the cyano groups in trans positions are bonded to water molecules by hydrogen bonds, the distances CN?O being 0.289 and 0.291 nm, respectively. The crystal structure of (II) is constituted by Zn(en)₃]²⁺ cations and Ni(CN)₄]^2? anions.