N,N′-bis[2-(methylsulfanyl)phenyl]pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide

In the title compound, C21H19N3O2S2, there are intramolecular hydrogen bonds and steric strain. Hydrogen bonds involving the amide groups and the pyridine N atoms force the two carboxamide groups and the central pyridine ring into the same plane (r. m. s. deviation = 0.054 Angstrom). Steric strain between the two methylsulfanyl substituents results in the benzene rings of the two arms of the ligand being inclined to one another by 45.23 (9) degrees. In the crystal structure, intermolecular C-H...O interactions are present and lead to the formation of a three-dimensional network.