3,3′-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(aminomethylene)-bis(pentane-2,4-dione) and the nickel(II) complex of a condensation product

3,3'-[Ethane-l,2-diylbis(aminomethylene)]bis(pentane-2,4-dione) [C14H20N2O4, (1)] displays crystallographic twofold symmetry. The N-H function forms the donor part of a three-centre hydrogen bond, with two oxygen accepters. [6,13-Diacetyl-5, 12-dimethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradeca-4,6, 11, 13-tetraenato(2-)-kappa(4)N]nickel(II) bis(deuterochloroform) solvate {[Ni(C16H22N4O2)]. 2CDCl(3), (2)} is a nickel complex of a condensation product of (1). It displays non-crystallographic inversion symmetry, with square-planar geometry at nickel and Ni-N bond lengths of 1.881(3) and 1.882(3)Angstrom to N1 and N8 (with a neighbouring alpha-methyl group), respectively, and bond lengths of 1.835(3) and 1.839(3)Angstrom to N4 and N11. Hydrogen bonds are formed from the carbonyl O atoms to the solvent D atoms.