{N′-[1-(2-pyridyl)ethylidene-kN]benzohydrazidato-k ² N′,O}{N′-[1-(2-pyridyl)ethylidene-N]benzohydrazide-k ² N′,O}copper(II) trichloroacetate

In the title complex, [Cu(C ₁₄H ₁₃N ₃O) (C ₁₄H ₁₂N ₃O)](CCl3COO), the central Cu(II) ion exhibits a distorted octa-hedral geometry with the two ligands coordinating in an meridional format. The N ₄O ₂ ligand environment is defined by two benzoyl O atoms, two pyridyl N atoms and imino N atoms. As evidenced by the bond lengths, the two benzohydrazone ligands exist in distinctively different forms, one of them as a regular neutral ligand and the other as an anionic enolate arising from deprotonation. The much longer Cu-O bond and longer Cu-N bond lengths in the neutral benzohydrazone ligand imply weak ligation in comparison with the anionic enolate form. The acute angles of the five-membered rings cause a significant deviation from a regular octahedral geometry.