Comparison of two polymeric transition metal complexes with 1,4‐benzenedicarboxylate ions as bridging ligands, [Co(C8H4O4)(C12H8N2)(H2O)] and [Cu(C8H4O4)(C10H9N3)]·H2O

The title complexes, catena‐polyaqua(1,10‐phenanthroline‐κ²N,N′)­cobalt(II)]‐μ‐benzene‐1,4‐di­carboxyl­ato‐κ²O¹:O⁴], Co(C₈H₄O₄)(C₁₂H₈N₂)(H₂O)], (I), and catena‐poly(di‐2‐pyridyl‐κN‐amine)copper(II)]‐μ‐benzene‐1,4‐di­carboxyl­ato‐κ⁴O¹,O^1′:O⁴,O^4′] hydrate], Cu(C₈H₄O₄)(C₁₀H₉N₃)]·H₂O, (II), take the form of zigzag chains, with the 1,4‐benzene­di­carboxyl­ate ion acting as an amphimonodentate ligand in (I) and a bis‐bidentate ligand in (II). The Co^II ion in (I) is five‐coordinate and has a distorted trigonal–bipyramidal geometry. The Cu^II ion in (II) is in a very distorted octahedral 4+2 environment, with the octahedron elongated along the trans O—Cu—O bonds and with a trans O—Cu—O angle of only 137.22 (8)°.