The new {[Ni(phen) 3 ][Ni(dipic) 2 ]} 2 .17H 2 O (1) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, dipic = dipicolinate)) has been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV-Vis, magnetic measurement and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The complex consists of two tris(1,10-phenanthroline)nickel(II) cations, two bis(dipicolinato)nickelate(II) anions and seventeen uncoordinated water molecules. The Ni(II) complex crystallizes in the triclinic space group P-1. The complex consisting of cation has distorted octahedral coordination by three bidentate phen ligands. In the complex anion, each dipic ligand simultaneously exhibits tridentate coordination modes through N atom of pyridine ring and oxygen atoms of the carboxylate groups. The crystal packing of 1 is a composite of intermolecular hydrogen bonding, ʌ-ʌ and C-H···ʌ interactions. The complex has also been investigated in terms of biological activity and it showed high activity against S. aureus from Gram positive bacteria and C. albicans from yeast tested.