A coordination compound of copper(II) valerate with nicotinamide, [CuL(C4H9COO)2]2 (I), has been synthesized, and its crystal structure has been determined by X-ray crystallography. The crystals of I are triclinic: a = 9.1245(9) Å, b = 9.8572(6) Å, c = 11.0944(9) Å, α = 73.51(1)°, β = 79.917(6)°, γ = 72.161(7)°, Z = 2, space group $$P\bar 1$$ . In the centrosymmetric binuclear molecule of I, the copper atoms (Cu...Cu′, 2.621 Å) are linked through four bidentate chelating valerate ligands (av., Cu-O 1.969 Å). The coordination polyhedron of the Cu atom is a tetragonal pyramid with the nitrogen atom of the pyridine ring in the apical position at a longer distance (Cu-N, 2.190 Å). © Pleiades Publishing, Inc., 2006.