A straightforward synthesis of diverse nickel dithiolene complexes appended with hydrogen-bond donor/acceptor groups.

Nickel dithiolene complexes symmetrically appended with hydrogen-bond donor/acceptor functionalities such as imide, amide, or cyano/amide groups have been synthesized by a straightforward method of wide applicability starting from one single precursor. Single-crystal X-ray structures reveal the occurrence of one type of ribbon common to all compounds that is based on a recurrent self-complementary intermolecular hydrogen-bonded ring motif linking the symmetrically substituted complexes.