Crystal structure of bis-(μ-2-benzoyl-benzoato-κ(2) O:O')bis-[bis-(2,2'-bi-pyridine-κ(2) N,N')manganese(II)] bis-(perchlorate).

The title compound, [Mn2(C6H5COC6H4COO)2(C10H8N2)4](ClO4)2, comprises a centrosymmetric binuclear cation and two perchlorate anions. In the complex cation, two Mn(II) atoms are bridged by two O atoms of two different 2-benzoyl-benzoate ligands, each Mn(II) atom being further coordinated by two 2,2'-bi-pyridine (bipy) ligands in a distorted octa-hedral environment. Within the binuclear mol-ecule, the Mn⋯Mn separation is 4.513†(7)†à . Inter-molecular C-H⋯O and C-H⋯ π inter-actions link the mol-ecules into a three-dimensional network.