title: Tetra-kis(μ-2-methyl-benzoato)bis-[(2-methyl-benzoic acid)copper(II)].
abstract: In the title centrosymmetric dinuclear compound, [Cu(2)(C(8)H(7)O(2))(4)(C(8)H(8)O(2))(2)], four o-toluate anions form a cage around two Cu atoms in a syn-syn configuration. Two more o-toluic acid mol-ecules are apically bonded to the Cu atoms, which show a square-pyramidal coordination geometry. The acid H atoms are hydrogen bonded to the cage carboxyl O atoms [O⋯O = 2.660 (2) Å]. The mol-ecular packing forms a puckered pseudo-hexa-gonal close-packed layer in the (h00) plane, with soft inter-molecular H⋯H contacts (2.46-2.58 Å).
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa.
authors.forename: Abraham C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sunil
authors.forename: Barend C B
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Bezuidenhoudt
authors.forename: J Marthinus
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Janse van Rensburg