Whole-mol­ecule disorder of the heterometallic complex di­aqua-1κ2O-di­chlorido-2κ2Cl-(μ-2-formyl-6-meth­oxy­phenolato-1κ2O1,O2:2κO6){μ-2-meth­oxy-6-[(methyl­imino)­meth­yl]phenolato-1κ2N,O1:2κO6}lead(II)nickel(II)

In the crystal the title compound exhibits full-mol­ecule disorder [occupancy ratio 0.711 (6): 0.289 (6)], generated by a false twofold rotation about the shorter, Ni–Pb, axis of the mol­ecule.

The new mol­ecular complex [NiPb(C₉H₁₀NO₂)(C₈H₇NO₃)Cl₂(H₂O)₂] with the Schiff base 2-meth­oxy-6-[(methyl­imino)­meth­yl]phenol and ortho-vanillin ligands, both deprotonated, crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with one mol­ecule per asymmetric unit. The heterometallic mol­ecule exhibits a whole-mol­ecule orientational disorder [occupancy ratio 0.711 (6): 0.289 (6)] about a pseudo-twofold rotation axis that roughly bis­ects the mol­ecule along the Ni–Pb axis. The Ni centre coordination is distorted octa­hedral [Ni—N/O_eq = 1.996 (8)–2.021 (7) Å, major component] with two water mol­ecules in the apexes [2.088 (6) and 2.090 (5) Å]. The Pb atom is six-coordinate in a highly distorted tetra­gonal–bipyramidal geometry. Two phenolato and two methoxo O atoms from the deprotonated ligand moieties are nearly coplanar with the metal centre [Pb–O 2.301 (8)–2.740 (10) Å, major component], while the two chlorides are located on opposite sides of the plane [Pb—Cl = 2.821 (5) and 2.868 (5) Å]. The Ni–Pb pair of metals is bridged by two phenolato O atoms enabling a metal–metal separation of 3.441 (3)/3.477 (7) Å. Two intra­molecular O–H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds between coordinated aqua and chloride ligands appear to be a reason for the Cl–Pb–Cl and O–Ni–O angles being far from 180°. In the solid state, the well-separated heterometallic mol­ecules are inter­linked by π–π stacking and weak O—H⋯Cl and C—H⋯Cl/O hydrogen bonds. The mol­ecules show no significant inter­molecular inter­actions: the minimal M⋯M distance in the crystal is about 7.65 Å (Ni⋯Pb).