A trinuclear cobalt-cerium complex: bis(2,2′-bipyridine)-1κ2N,N′;3κ2N,N′-hexa-μ-methacrylato-1:2κ6O:O′;2:3κ6O:O′-nitrato-2κ2O,O′-2-cerium(III)-1,3-dicobalt(II)

In the title trinuclear cobalt-cerium complex, [CeCo2-(C4H5O2)(6)(NO3)(C10H8N2)(2)], the Ce-III and each of the two Co-II ions are bridged by three bidentate methacrylate ligands. The Ce-III center is coordinated by six O atoms from six methacrylate ligands and two O atoms from the nitrate anion in a distorted square-antiprismatic geometry. Each Co-II ion is coordinated by three O atoms from three methacrylate ligands and two N atoms from a 2,2'-bipyridine ligand in a distorted trigonal-pyramidal geometry. In the crystal structure, pi-pi interactions between the aromatic rings [centroid-centroid distances of 3.816 (8) and 3.756 (8) angstrom] link the molecules into chains propagated in [01 (1) over bar]. Weak intermolecular C-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonds further stabilize the crystal packing.