A neutral cubane with a Zn(4)O(4) core: tetra-benzoato-tetra-kis(μ(3)-hydroxydi-2-pyridylmethano-lato)tetra-zinc(II)-acetone-methanol (1/2/1).

In the title compound, [Zn(4)(C(11)H(9)N(2)O(2))(4)(C(7)H(5)O(2))(4)]·2(CH(3))(2)CO·CH(3)OH, the tetra-nuclear mol-ecule lies on a fourfold inversion axis. Zn(II) ions and μ(3)-O atoms in the cubane core occupy alternating vertices, forming two inter-penetrating tetra-hedra. Each Zn(II) ion is further coordinated by two N atoms from two different (py)(2)C(OH)O ligands (py is pyrid-yl) and one O atom from a monodentate benzoate ligand, forming a distorted octa-hedral environment. The (py)(2)C(OH)O ligand acts in an η(1):η(3):η(1):μ(3) manner, forming two five-membered ZnNCCO chelating rings with two different Zn(II) atoms sharing a common C-O bond, and an alkoxide-type bond to a third Zn(II) ion. There are four symmetry-related intra-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the two types of ligands. In the asymmetric unit, there is a half-occupancy acetone solvent mol-ecule and a half-occupancy methanol solvent molecule that lies on a twofold rotation axis.