Crystal structure, synthesis and thermal properties of bis­­(4-benzoyl­pyridine-κN)bis­­(iso­thio­cyanato-κN)bis­­(methanol-κN)iron(II)

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Fe(NCS)2(C12H9NO)2(CH4O)2], the FeII cations are octa­hedrally coordinated by two N atoms of 4-benzoyl­pyridine ligands, two N atoms of two terminal iso­thio­cyanate anions and two methanol mol­ecules into discrete complexes that are located on centres of inversion. These complexes are linked via inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the methanol O—H H atoms and the carbonyl O atoms of the 4-benzoyl­pyridine ligands, forming layers parallel to (101). Powder X-ray diffraction proved that a pure sample was obtained but that this compound is unstable and transforms into an unknown crystalline phase within several weeks. However, the solvent mol­ecules can be removed by heating in a thermobalance, which for the aged sample as well as the title compound leads to the formation of a compound with the composition Fe(NCS)2(4-benzoyl­pyridine)2, which exhibits a powder pattern that is similar to that of Mn(NCS)2(4-benzoyl­pyridine)2.