The reactions between Hg(SCN) 2 and the 2-pyridyl oximes, 2-pyridine aldoxime (paoH), methyl 2-pyridyl ketone oxime (mepaoH), pyridine-2-amidoxime (NH 2 paoH) and di-2-pyridyl ketone oxime (dpkoxH), have been investigated. The products in Me 2 CO or Me 2 CO/MeOH are the dinuclear complexes [Hg 2 (SCN) 4 (paoH) 2 ] (1), [Hg 2 (SCN) 4 (mepaoH) 2 ] (2), [Hg 2 (SCN) 4 (NH 2 paoH) 2 ] (3) and [Hg 2 (SCN) 4 (dpkoxH) 2 ] (4), whose structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The molecular structures consist of centrosymmetric dinuclear molecules in which the two Hg II ions are bridged by two bidentate bridging 1 : 1 :: (: 1,3) SCNgroups forming a planar (1, 2) or non-planar (3, 4), 8-membered metallacyclic ring. The Hg II centers are each chelated by a N(2-pyridyl), N(oxime)-bidentate ligand and are bound to one terminal S-bonded thiocyanato group. Due to the very long Hg II-N (bridging SCN-) distances in 3, this complex can also be described as pseudodimer. The second 2-pyridyl ring of each dpkoxH ligand in 4 remains uncoordinated. The 2D lattice of 1 and 2 is built through H-bonding and-stacking interactions. Hydrogen bonds and S...S interactions generate 3D networks in 3 and 4. The IR spectra of the complexes are discussed in terms of the coordination modes of the ligands involved (SCN-, 2-pyridyl oximes). 1 H NMR spectra in d 6-DMSO indicate that the complexes decompose in solution.