Tetra-kis(4-benzoyl-pyridine-κ)bis-(iso-thio-cyanato-κ)manganese(II).

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Mn(NCS)(CHNO)], consists of one Mn cation located on a centre of inversion, one thio-cyanate anion and two 4-benzoyl-pyridine co-ligands. The Mn cation is octa-hedrally coordinated by two terminally N-bonded anionic ligands and four N-bonded 4-benzoyl-pyridine co-ligands within a slightly distorted octa-hedron. Individual complexes are linked by inter-molecular C-H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter-actions into chains running along the axis direction. Simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry measurements reveal a decomposition in two separate steps, in each of which two co-ligands are removed. The compound obtained after the first step has the composition [Mn(NCS)(CHNO)] and is of unknown structure, before in the second step decomposition into [Mn(NCS)] is observed. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show the Mn cations to be in the high-spin state, and that weak anti-ferromagnetic inter-actions between the complexes are present.