The title compound was prepared by a template synthesis from 2,6-diacetylpyridine, dioxamohydrazide and Fe(ClO₄)₃·6H₂O(mol ratio 1:2:1) in MeOH/H₂O(3:1) solution and its structure determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction; triclinic, space group P1, a = 7.5186(7), b = 10.9730(9), c = 14.6110(10) Å, α = 95.866(1), β = 100.252(1), γ = 92.895(1), z = 2. The polydentate ligand is coordinated as a dianionic pentadentate while water molecules occupy apical positions in the structure. This is the first example of a monomeric, pentagonal bipyramidal structure of an Fe(III) complex with a dianionic bis(acylhydrazone) derivative of 2,6-diacetylpyridine.

The synthesis of a novel ligand 2′-[1-(2-pyridinyl)-ethylidene]-oxamohydrazide (Hapsox), from a series of 2-acetylpyridine acylhydrazones, and its complex with Co(III), which is the first in this series of complexes are described. Both the ligand and the complex were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H-NMR, and ¹³C-NMR spectra, and the structure of the complex [Co(apsox)₂]ClO₄ was determined by X-ray structural analysis. It was established that [Co(apsox)₂]ClO₄ has an octahedral geometry with two tridentate apsox ligands in monoanionic form. Structural characteristics, lengths of the bonds, and angles between the bonds were typical for Co(III) complexes of distorted octahedral geometry. Both direct and template synthesis afforded the same geometrical isomer of the complex with two apsox ligands meridionally bound to the central metal ion, even in the case when equimolar quantities of Co(ClO₄)₂ and Hapsox were applied.