catena-Poly[[tetrakis(μ-propionato-κ2O:O′) dicopper(II)]-μ-3-pyridyl-methanol-κ2N :O- [bis(3-propionato-κO)-bis(3-pyridylmethanol-κN)copper(II)]-μ-3-pyridylmethanol-κO:N]

The title compound, [Cu-3(C3H5O2)(6)(C6H7NO)(4)](n), is composed of polymeric chains formed by alternating centro-symmetric Cu-2(mu-CH3CH2CO2)(4) and Cu(C3H5O2)(2)(C6H7NO) 2 units. These elemental units are linked by two bridging 3-pyridylmethanol (3PM) ligands. The Cu-2(mu-CH3CH2CO2)(4) group presents a centrosymmetric tetrabridged structure with four syn-syn bridging propionate ligands to which two 3PM molecules are bonded (through N), occupying the apical positions of each square-pyramidal polyhedron around the Cu-II ions. The remaining mononuclear group is centred around a third Cu-II ion, which lies on a symmetry centre and is bound to two monodentate propionate groups (through O), two monodentate 3PM molecules (through N) and two bridging 3PM molecules (through O), thus completing a square-bipyramidal CuO2N2O2 coordination.