Two new CoII coordination polymers with multifunctional 5‐amino‐2,4,6‐tribromoisophthalic acid and flexible isomeric bis(imidazole) ligands: preparation,crystal structure and characterization

Two new Co^II coordination polymers (CPs), namely, catena‐poly(5‐amino‐2,4,6‐tribromobenzene‐1,3‐dicarboxylato‐κO)aquacobalt(II)]‐bisμ‐1,3‐bis(imidazol‐1‐ylmethyl)benzene‐κ²N:N′]] 4.75‐hydrate], {Co(C₈H₂Br₃NO₄)(C₁₄H₁₄N₄)₂(H₂O)]·4.75H₂O}_n, (1), and poly(μ‐5‐amino‐2,4,6‐tribromobenzene‐1,3‐dicarboxylato‐κ²O¹:O³)μ‐1,2‐bis(imidazol‐1‐ylmethyl)benzene‐κ²N:N′]cobalt(II)], Co(C₈H₂Br₃NO₄)(C₁₄H₁₄N₄)]_n, (2), have been synthesized successfully by the assembly of multifunctional 5‐amino‐2,4,6‐tribromoisophthalic acid (H₂ATBIP) and Co^II ions in the presence of the flexible isomeric bis(imidazole) ligands 1,3‐bis(imidazol‐1‐ylmethyl)benzene (mbix) and 1,2‐bis(imidazol‐1‐ylmethyl)benzene (obix). The isomeric mbix and obix ligands have a big influence on the structures of CPs (1) and (2). CP (1) is composed of chains of nanometre‐sized elliptical rings, in which the Co^II atom exhibits a distorted octahedral coordination geometry and ATBIP^2? acts as a monodentate ligand. Two adjacent chains are interlinked by π–π stacking interactions and hydrogen bonds, resulting in a supramolecular double chain. Hydrogen‐bonded R₈⁶(16) rings extend adjacent supramolecular double chains into a two‐dimensional supramolecular layer. Halogen bonding and a hydrogen‐bonded R₄²(8) ring further link the two‐dimensional supramolecular layers, leading to the formation of a three‐dimensional supramolecular network. The Co^II ion in CP (2) is tetracoordinated, exhibiting a distorted tetrahedral configuration. The ATBIP^2? ligand exhibits a bis(monodentate) coordination bridging mode, linking adjacent Co^II ions into zigzag chains, which are further bridged by the auxiliary bridging obix ligand, resulting in a two‐dimensional (4,4) topological network. Interlayer hydrogen and halogen–halogen bonding further extend the two‐dimensional layers into a three‐dimensional supramolecular network. A detailed analysis of the solid‐state UV–Vis–NIR diffuse‐reflectance spectra of (1) and (2) indicates that a wide optical band gap exists in both (1) and (2). CP (1) exhibits an irreversible dehydration–rehydration behaviour.