Bis(acetato-O)bis(urea-O)zinc(II), [Zn(H2NCONH2)2(CH3COO)2]

The title molecular complex, [Zn(C 2 H 3 O 2 ) 2 (CH 4 -N 2 O) 2 ], crystallized from an aqueous solution of urea and zinc acetate in a 2 :1 ratio. Zn II is coordinated by four O atoms in a systematically distorted tetrahedral arrangement, while the complex as a whole has an approximate twofold rotation axis. Each urea ligates via its carbonyl O atom, while each acetate is monodentate. Each non-ligating carbonyl O atom of the acetate ligands accepts an intramolecular hydrogen bond from urea. Intermolecular hydrogen bonds give rise to a layer structure, with the layers stacked by van der Waals attractions only.