A new three‐dimensional cobalt(II) coordination polymer based on V‐shaped 3,4′‐oxydibenzoate: synthesis,crystal structure and magnetic properties

A new coordination polymer (CP), namely poly(μ‐4,4′‐bipyridine)(μ₃‐3,4′‐oxydibenzoato)cobalt(II)], Co(C₁₄H₈O₅)(C₁₀H₈N₂)]_n or Co(3,4′‐obb)(4,4′‐bipy)]_n ( 1 ), was prepared by the self‐assembly of Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O with the rarely used 3,4′‐oxydibenzoic acid (3,4′‐obbH₂) ligand and 4,4′‐bipyridine (4,4′‐bipy) under solvothermal conditions, and has been structurally characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography and powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD). Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction reveals that each Co^II ion is six‐coordinated by four O atoms from three 3,4′‐obb^2? ligands, of which two function as monodentate ligands and the other as a bidentate ligand, and by two N atoms from bridging 4,4′‐bipy ligands, thereby forming a distorted octahedral CoN₂O₄ coordination geometry. Adjacent crystallographically equivalent Co^II ions are bridged by the O atoms of 3,4′‐obb^2? ligands, affording an eight‐membered Co₂O₄C₂ ring which is further extended into a two‐dimensional Co(3,4′‐obb)]_n sheet along the ab plane via 3,4′‐obb^2? functioning as a bidentate bridging ligand. The planes are interlinked into a three‐dimensional Co(3,4′‐obb)(4,4′‐bipy)]_n network by 4,4′‐bipy ligands acting as pillars along the c axis. Magnetic investigations on CP 1 disclose an antiferromagnetic coupling within the dimeric Co₂ unit and a metamagnetic behaviour at low temperature resulting from intermolecular π–π interactions between the parallel 4,4′‐bipy ligands.