Polymeric aqua(N-ethylurea-O)(N-pyruvidene-beta-alaninato-O,N,O ')copper(II)

In the title compound, [Cu(C6H7NO5)(C3H8N2O)(H2O)](n), the Cu-II ion is oct ahedrally coordinated by three donor atoms of the N-pyruvidene-beta-alanina to Schiff base dianion, and one carboxylic O atom of a symmetry-related mol ecule at a distance of 1.982 (1) Angstrom in the central plane; the latter contact leads to the formation of polymeric chains. One axial position is o ccupied by a water O atom at an apical distance of 2.310 (2) Angstrom. The distance between the Cu atom and the sixth donor, the O atom of the neutral N-ethylurea ligand, is 3.062 (2) Angstrom. The chains are connected to eac h other by hydrogen bonding, forming a two-dimensional network along [010] and [100], The Cu polyhedra have two magnetically inequivalent orientations .