Ion size dominated 1D and 2D Salen lanthanide coordination complexes and their luminescence

Lewis acid/base addition between Ln(NO₃)₃ · 6H₂O (Ln = Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb and Lu) and H₂salen [H₂salen = N,N′-ethylenebis(salicylideneimine)] gives rise to an array of coordination polymeric structures. Crystal structural analysis reveals that Salen effectively functions as a bridging ligand in these compounds. The size of the lanthanide ions controls the structures of these Salen lanthanide complexes. Two representative structures with one dimensional and two dimensional topologies, viz. [Pr(H₂salen)(NO₃)₃(CH₃OH)₂]_n (1) and [Ln(H₂salen)_1.5(NO₃)₃]_n [Ln = Pr (2), Nd (3), Sm (4), Eu (5), Tb (6) and Lu (7)] are reported. Luminescent spectra of complexes 4 and 5 exhibit characteristic metal-centered emission lines. However, the characteristic luminescence of the terbium(III) ion is not observed either in solution or in the solid state of complex 6.     

Theoretical study on the intramolecular proton transfer reactions of 3-methyl-5-hydroxyisoxazole and its water complexes

The optimized structures and proton transfer reactions of 3-methyl-5-hydroxyisoxazole and its water complexes (3-M-5-HIO · (H₂O)_n · (n = 0–3)) were computed at B3LYP and MP2 theoretical level. The results indicates that 3-M-5-HIO has four isomers (Ecis, Etrans, K1 and K2), and the keto tautomer, and K2 is the most stable isomer in the gas phase. Hydrogen bonding between 3-M-5-HIO and the water molecules can dramatically lower the barrier by the concerted transfer mechanism. Ecis · (H₂O)₃ → K1 · (H₂O)₃ and Ecis · (H₂O)₂ → K2 · (H₂O)₂ is found to be very efficient. Comparing with the proton transfer mechanism of 5-HIO shows that the methyl substitution prevents the intramolecular proton transfer.     

可见光下高催化活性不同结构Sr/TiO2催化剂的制备和表征

采用分步沉积法制备不同Sr/Ti 摩尔比例的Sr/TiO₂催化剂, 以X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)、傅里叶变换红外(FT-IR) 光谱、紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis RDS)等手段对样品进行了表征, 以可见光催化降解亚甲基蓝为模型反应考察样品光催化活性. 结果表明, 催化剂的活性和结构随Sr/Ti 摩尔比(n(Sr)/n(Ti))的变化而变化, 当n(Sr)/n(Ti)≤3/2 时, 催化剂呈由TiO₂和SrTiO₃组成的球状结构; 而当n(Sr)/n(Ti)在3/2 与4/1 之间时, 催化剂呈片状结构, 且随着n(Sr)/n(Ti)增大, 催化剂组成由SrTiO₃ 和Sr₂₄ 变为Sr₂₄和Sr(OH)₂·H₂O; 当n(Sr)/n(Ti)=9/1 时, 催化剂呈以Sr(OH)₂·H₂O为主的针状结构. 其中, n(Sr)/n(Ti)=4/1的样品表现出最高的光催化活性, 一级反应速率为SrTiO₃钙钛矿催化剂的5.0倍, 商用P25的86.7倍.     

Synthesis of titania and titanate nanomaterials and their application in environmental analytical chemistry

TiO₂ nanoparticles and H₂Ti₂O₅·H₂O, Na₂Ti₂O₄(OH)₂ nanotubes were synthesized by solvothermal method and their applications in the degradation of active Brilliant-blue (KN-R) solution were investigated. The experimental results revealed that the synthesized TiO₂ nanoparticles had a good crystallinity and a narrow size distribution (about 4–5 nm); the obtained H₂Ti₂O₅·H₂O, Na₂Ti₂O₄(OH)₂ were tubelike products with an average diameter of 20–30 and 200–300 nm length. The three catalysts we synthesized had some hydroxyl groups and the maximum absorption boundaries of the samples were all red-shifted, which indicated the samples had a promising prospect in photocatalysis.

The results of the photocatalytic experiments indicated that the photocatalytic activity of the samples was: TiO₂ > H₂Ti₂O₅·H₂O > Na₂Ti₂O₄(OH)₂, which was in good accordance with the fact of FTIR and UV–vis absorption spectra. The formation mechanism of these nanostructures was also discussed.     

Zn(II) complexes with pyridine derived N6 and N8 donor azamacrocyclic ligands

A novel N6 macrocyclic ligand, L¹ (2,8,14,20-tetramethyl-3,7,15,19,25,26-hexaaza-tricyclo[19.3.1.1^9,13]hexacosa-1(24),9,11,13(26),21(25),22-hexaene), was obtained by reduction of the 2 + 2 condensation product of 2,6-diacetylpyridine and propane-1,3-diamine. Zinc(II) complexes of L¹, of a related N8 macrocycle, L³ (3,6,9,17,20,23,29,30-octaaza-tricyclo[23.3.1.1[11,15]]triaconta-1(28),1,13,15(30),25(29),26-hexaene), similarly prepared by 2 + 2 condensation of 2,6-diformylpyridine and diethylenetriamine and of a tetra N-2-cyanoethyl derivative of a homologue of L¹ prepared from diformyl pyridine and ethane-1,2-diamine, L² (3-[6,14,17-tris-(2-cyano-ethyl)-3,6,14,17,23,24-hexaaza-tricyclo[17.3.1.1^8,12] tetracosa-1(23),8(24),9,11,19,21-hexaen-3-yl]-propionitrile), were prepared. Structures were determined for [ZnL¹](ClO₄)₂ · H₂O, [ZnL²](NO₃)₂ and [Zn₂L³(NO₃)₂](NO₃)₂ · H₂O. The [ZnL¹](ClO₄)₂ · H₂O and [ZnL²](NO₃)₂ complexes present a mononuclear endomacrocyclic structure with the metal in an octahedral distorted environment coordinated by the six donor nitrogen atoms from the macrocyclic backbone while the complex [Zn₂L³(NO₃)₂](NO₃)₂ · H₂O is dinuclear with both metal atoms into the macrocyclic cavity coordinated by four donor nitrogen atoms from the macrocyclic framework and one oxygen atom from one monodentate nitrate anion, in a distorted square pyramidal arrangement.     

Self-assembly in dinuclear, cyclic homotetranuclear and cyclic heterotetranuclear complexes with a picolylhydrazone ligand

Reactions among Cu(ClO₄)₂ · 6H₂O, Cu(acac)₂/VO(acac)₂ and 3-methoxysalicylaldehyde Picoloylhydrazone in different solvents give three complexes, [Cu₂L(acac)(H₂O)₂]ClO₄ (1), [Cu₄L₂(acac)₂(py)₂](ClO₄)₂ (2) and (VO₂)₂L₂Cu₂(acac)₂ (3) (acac = acetyl acetonate and py = pyridine). There is an extended 2D structure in complex 1 constructed by hydrogen bonds between the binuclear complex cation and the ClO₄⁻ anion, and an extended 1D structure in complex 2 constructed by weak ππ stacking interactions between neighboring cyclic tetranuclear complex molecules. Complex 3 is the first oxovanadium–copper complex with a bridging oxo oxygen atom between the V atom and the Cu atom. The solid-state photoluminescent properties of the three title complexes have been studied. There is an antiferromagnetic interaction in 1.     

Influence of electronic and steric effects on stability constants and electrochemical reversibility of divalent ion complexes with glycine and sarcosine. A glass electrode potentiometric, sampled direct current polarographic, virtual potentiometric, and molecular modelling study

Cd^II complexes with glycine (gly) and sarcosine (sar) were studied by glass electrode potentiometry, direct current polarography, virtual potentiometry, and molecular modelling. The electrochemically reversible Cd^II–glycine–OH labile system was best described by a model consisting of M(HL), ML, ML₂, ML₃, ML(OH) and ML₂(OH) (M = Cd^II, L = gly) with the overall stability constants, as log β, determined to be 10.30 ± 0.05, 4.21 ± 0.03, 7.30 ± 0.05, 9.84 ± 0.04, 8.9 ± 0.1, and 10.75 ± 0.10, respectively. In case of the electrochemically quasi-reversible Cd^II–sarcosine–OH labile system, only ML, ML₂ and ML₃ (M = Cd^II, L = sar) were found and their stability constants, as log β, were determined to be 3.80 ± 0.03, 6.91 ± 0.07, and 8.9 ± 0.4, respectively. Stability constants for the ML complexes, the prime focus of this work, were thus established with an uncertainty smaller than 0.05 log units. The observed departure from electrochemical reversibility for the Cd–sarcosine–OH system was attributed mainly to the decrease in the transfer coefficient . The MM2 force field, supplemented by additional parameters, reproduced the reported crystal structures of diaqua-bis(glycinato-O,N)nickel(II) and fac-tri(glycinato)-nickelate(II) very well. These parameters were used to predict structures of all possible isomers of (i) [Ni(H₂O)₄(gly)]⁺ and [Ni(H₂O)₄(sar)]⁺; and (ii) [Ni(H₂O)₃(IDA)] and [Ni(H₂O)₃(MIDA)] (IDA = iminodiacetic acid, MIDA = N-methyl iminodiacetic acid) by molecular mechanics/simulated annealing methods. The change in strain energy, ΔU_str, that accompanies the substitution of one ligand by another (ML + L′ → ML′ + L), was computed and a strain energy ΔU_str = +0.28 kcal mol⁻¹ for the reaction [Ni(H₂O)₄(gly)]⁺ + sar → [Ni(H₂O)₄(sar)]⁺ + gly was found. This predicts the monoglycine complex to be marginally more stable. By contrast, for the reaction [Ni(H₂O)₃IDA] + MIDA → [Ni(H₂O)₃MIDA] + IDA, ΔU_str = −0.64 kcal mol⁻¹, and the monoMIDA complex is predicted to be more stable. This correlates well with (i) stability constants for Cd–gly and Cd–sar reported here; and (ii) known stability constants of ML complex for glycine, sarcosine, IDA, and MIDA.     

Synthesis and thermodynamic properties of a metal-organic framework: [LaCu6(μ-OH)3(Gly)6im6](ClO4)6

A metal-organic complex, which has the potential property of absorbing gases, [LaCu₆(μ-OH)₃(Gly)₆im₆](ClO₄)₆ was synthesized through the self-assembly of La³⁺, Cu²⁺, glycine (Gly) and imidazole (Im) in aqueous solution and characterized by IR, element analysis and powder XRD. The molar heat capacity, C_p,m, was measured from T = 80 to 390 K with an automated adiabatic calorimeter. The thermodynamic functions [H_T − H_298.15] and [S_T − S_298.15] were derived from the heat capacity data with temperature interval of 5 K. The thermal stability of the complex was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).     

Structural diversity of lanthanide–amino acid complexes under near physiological pH conditions and their recognition of single-stranded DNA

We reported here four structures of lanthanide–amino acid complexes obtained under near physiological pH conditions and their individual formula can be described as [Tb₂(dl-Cys)₄(H₂O)₈]Cl₂ (1), [Eu₄(μ₃-OH)₄(l-Asp)₂(l-HAsp)₃(H₂O)₇] Cl · 11.5H₂O (2), [Eu₈(l-HVal)₁₆(H₂O)₃₂]Cl₂₄ · 12.5H₂O (3), and [Tb₂(dl-HVal)₄(H₂O)₈]Cl₆ · 2H₂O (4). These complexes showed diverse structures and have shown potential application in DNA detection. We studied the interactions of the complexes with five single-stranded DNA and found different fluorescence enhancement, binding affinity and binding stoichiometry when the complexes are bound to DNA.     

Synthesis, structural and spectroscopic characterisation of three di-μ-fluoro-bis[dioxouranyl] complexes

Three novel uranyl complexes with organic phosphine oxide ligands and bridging fluorides have been synthesised and structurally characterised. In [ UO₂(μ-F)(TPPO)_{3 2}][BF₄]₂ · ⁿC₆H₁₄, 1, and [ UO₂(-μF)(TBPO)_{3 2}][BF₄]₂ 2, (where TPPO and TBPO are triphenylphosphine oxide and tri-n-butylphosphine oxide, respectively) two UO₂ ²⁺ moieties are bridged by two fluorides with three additional terminal PO donor ligands coordinated to each uranium centre. The dicationic complexes are both charge balanced by two uncoordinated tetrafluoroborate anions. In the related structure, [UO₂(μ-F)(F)(DPPMO₂)]₂ · 2MeOH (3), terminal fluoride is also coordinated to both uranyl centres (where DPPMO₂ = bis(diphenylphosphine oxide)methane). All three complexes were prepared during attempted syntheses of complexes with tetrafluoroborate directly coordinated to uranium. It is clear from these results that the fluorophilicity of UO₂ ²⁺ causes the abstraction of fluoride from [BF₄]⁻, with the weakly coordinating anion only present as a counter cation in 1 and 2, and absent completely in 3.     

Catalase mimics of a manganese(II) complex: The effect of axial ligands and pH

The mononuclear [Mn(indH)Cl₂](CH₃OH) (indH: 1,3-bis(2′-pyridylimino)-isoindoline) complex has been prepared and characterized by various techniques such as elemental analysis, IR, UV–vis, ESR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The title compound in the presence of a base such as 1-methylimidazole, imidazole or pyridine is efficient catalyst for the disproportionation of H₂O₂ in CH₃CN. Among the various nitrogenous bases investigated in this study imidazole and substituted imidazoles with strong π-donating ability show better co-catalytic effect.

In case of aqueous solution the complex [Mn(indH)Cl₂](CH₃OH) shows much higher catalytic activity, and the initial rate of the disproportionation of H₂O₂ increases with increasing pH and goes through a maximum, which was found at pH  9.6. In this pH value the reaction shows first-order dependence on the catalyst, and saturation kinetics on [H₂O₂] with V_max = 8.1 × 10⁻³ Ms⁻¹, K_M = 489 mM, k_cat = 38 ± 2 s⁻¹ and k₂(k_cat/K_M) = 79 ± 4 M⁻¹s⁻¹.     

Structural and spectroscopic properties of Hexamethylenetetramine cobalt(II) complex: [Co(NCS)2(hmt)2(H2O)2][Co(NCS)2(H2O)4] (H2O)

Synthesis, structure, spectroscopy and thermal properties of complex [Co(NCS)₂(hmt)₂(H₂O)₂][Co(NCS)₂(H₂O)₄] (H₂O) (I), assembled by hexamethylenetetramine and octahedral Co(II) metal ions, are reported. Crystal data for I: F_w 387.34, a=9.020(8), b=12.887(9), c=7.95(1) Å, =96.73(4), β=115.36(5), γ=94.16(4)°, V=820(1) Å³, Z=2, space group=P−1, T=173 K, λ(Mo-K)=0.71070 Å, ρ_calc=1.718567 g cm⁻³, μ=17.44 cm⁻¹, R=0.088, R_w=0.148. An interesting two-dimensional network is assembled via hydrogen bonds through coordinated and free water molecules. The d–d transition energy levels of Co(II) ion are determined by UV–vis spectroscopy and calculated by ligand field theory. The calculated results agree well with experiment ones.     

Kinetics and mechanisms of homogeneous catalytic reactions: Part 7. Hydroformylation of 1-hexene catalyzed by cationic complexes of rhodium and iridium containing PPh3

Cationic rhodium and iridium complexes of the type [M(COD)(PPh₃)₂]PF₆ (M = Rh, 1a; Ir, 1b) are efficient precatalysts for the hydroformylation of 1-hexene to its corresponding aldehydes (heptanal and 2-methylhexanal), under mild pressures (2–5 bar) and temperatures (60 °C for Rh and 100 °C for Ir) in toluene solution; the linear to branched ratio (l/b) of the aldehydes in the hydroformylation reaction varies slightly (between 3.0 and 3.7 for Rh and close to 2 for Ir). Kinetic and mechanistic studies have been carried out using these cationic complexes as catalyst precursors. For both complexes, the reaction proceeds according to the rate law r_i = K₁K₂K₃k₄[M][olef][H₂][CO]/([CO]² + K₁[H₂][CO] + K₁K₂K₃[olef][H₂]). Both complexes react rapidly with CO to produce the corresponding tricarbonyl species [M(CO)₃(PPh₃)₂]PF₆, M = Rh, 2a; Ir, 2b, and with syn-gas to yield [MH₂(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂]PF₆, M = Rh, 3a; Ir, 3b, which originate by CO dissociation the species [MH₂(CO)(PPh₃)₂]PF₆ entering the corresponding catalytic cycle. All the experimental data are consistent with a general mechanism in which the transfer of the hydride to a coordinated olefin promoted by an entering CO molecule is the rate-determining step of the catalytic cycle.     

Electrochemical properties of a ruthenium complex immobilized as thin films and in carbon paste electrodes

The electrochemical properties of mer-[RuCl₃(dppb)(4-pic)] (dppb = Ph₂P(CH₂)₄PPh₂, 4-pic = CH₃C₅H₄N), Rupic, in CHCl₃ are governed by the formation of species such as [Ru₂Cl₅(dppb)₂], [Ru₂(dppb)₂Cl₄(4-pic)] and trans-[RuCl₂(dppb)(4-pic)₂] upon the reduction of “[RuCl₂(dppb)]”. The overall behavior depends on whether Rupic is immobilized in cast or Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films, or incorporated into a carbon paste electrode (CPE). In cyclic voltammograms, one redox process appears for LB/Rupic films and CPE/Rupic, at E_pa = 0.35 V, E_pc = 0.25 V vs SCE, and E_pa = 0.32 V, E_pc = 0.24 V vs Ag/AgCl, respectively. This redox process was ascribed to the Ru^III/Ru^II charge transfer. For cast films the redox pair was poorly defined, with E_pa = 0.27 V and E_pc = 0.20 V. The reason for the difference lies in the phase separation and formation of aggregates onto ITO for the cast film, in contrast to the LB film. With aggregation, the formation of species occurring in solution is impaired for Rupic in cast films. The electrochemical properties for Rupic in LB films and incorporated into CPE allowed the electrocatalytic activity of Rupic to be exploited in sensors for dopamine and ascorbic acid.     

Catalytic effects of eight inorganic additives on pyrolysis of pine wood sawdust by microwave heating

In this paper, pyrolysis of pine wood sawdust was carried out by microwave heating at ca. 470 °C under dynamic nitrogen atmosphere. Eight inorganic additives (NaOH, Na₂CO₃, Na₂SiO₃, NaCl, TiO₂, HZSM-5, H₃PO₄, Fe₂(SO₄)₃) were investigated in terms of their catalytic effects on the pyrolysis. All of the eight additives have increased yields of solid products greatly and decreased yields of gaseous products more or less. Yields of liquid products have not subjected to dramatic change. The incondensable gases produced from pyrolysis consist mainly of H₂, CH₄, CO and CO₂. All of the eight additives have made these gases evolve earlier, among which the four sodium additives have the most marked effect. All the additives have made the amount of CH₄ and CO₂ decrease, while all of them except NaCl, TiO₂ and Fe₂(SO₄)₃ have made that of H₂ increase and all of them except Na₂SiO₃ and HZSM-5 have made that of CO decrease. Alkaline sodium compounds NaOH, Na₂CO₃ and Na₂SiO₃ favor H₂ formation most. The most abundant organic component in the liquid products from pyrolysis of untreated sample and samples treated by all the additives except H₃PO₄ and Fe₂(SO₄)₃ is acetol. All the four sodium compounds favor acetol formation reaction and the selection increasing effect follows the order of NaOH > Na₂CO₃ ≈ Na₂SiO₃ > NaCl. TiO₂ goes against the formation of acetol, HZSM-5 has no marked effect on acetol formation. The two dominant organic components identified in the liquid products from pyrolysis of H₃PO₄ and Fe₂(SO₄)₃ treated samples are both fufural and 4-methyl-2-methoxy-phenol. A possible pathway for acetol formation is tentatively proposed.     

Coordination geometry of tetradentate Schiff’s base nickel complexes: the effects of donors, backbone length and hydrogenation

The X-ray crystal structures of (N,N′-bis-(o-amidobenzilidene)-1,3-diaminopropane)nickel (Niambpr), (N,N′-bis-(o-amidobenzilidene)-1,4-diaminobutane)nickel (Niambut), (N,N′-bis-(o-thiobenzilidene)-1,4-diaminobutane)nickel(II) (Nitsalbut), bis-acetonitrile-(N,N′-bis-(o-aminobenzyl)-1,2-diaminoethane) nickel(II) tetrafluoroborate [Ni(H₄amben)(MeCN)₂] [BF₄]₂, bis-O-acetato-(N,N′-bis-(o-aminobenzyl)-1,2-diaminoethane) nickel(II) [Ni(H₄amben)(OAc)₂ · H₂O] and bis-O-acetato-(N,N′-bis-(o-aminobenzyl)-1,3-diaminopropane) nickel(II) [Ni(H₄ambpr)(OAc)₂] are presented. These structures complete the structural characterisation of the simple unsubstituted Schiff’s base complexes with N₄ and N₂S₂ donor sets and allow us to assess the effects of donor groups and polymethylene chain length on the coordination geometries of nickel(II). The hydrogenated N₄ complexes offer an insight into the effects of increased flexibility and character of the internal nitrogen donors. Unlike the parent N₄ imine species the hydrogenated amine species do not deprotonate at the peripheral nitrogen donors and do not seem to be restricted to the meridial plane of the nickel.     

Neutral pyridylmethylamide ligands and their mononuclear copper(II) complexes

Mononuclear copper(II) complexes of a family of pyridylmethylamide ligands HL, HL^Me, HL^Ph, HL^Me3 and HL^Ph3, [HL = N-(2-pyridylmethyl)acetamide; HL^Me = N-(2-pyridylmethyl)propionamide; HL^Ph = 2-phenyl-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)acetamide; HL^Me3 = 2,2-dimethyl-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)propionamide; HL^Ph3 = 2,2,2-triphenyl-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)acetamide], were synthesized and characterized. The reaction of copper(II) salts with the pyridylmethylamide ligands yields complexes [Cu(HL)₂(OTf)₂] (1), [Cu(HL^Me)₂](ClO₄)₂ (2), [Cu(HL)₂Cl]₂[CuCl₄] (3), [Cu(HL^Me3)₂(THF)](OTf)₂ (4), [Cu(HL^Me3)₂(H₂O)](ClO₄)₂ (5a and 5b), [Cu(HL^Ph3)₂(H₂O)](ClO₄)₂ (6), [Cu(HL)(2,2′-bipy)(H₂O)](ClO₄)₂ (7), and [Cu(HL^Ph)(2,2′-bipy)(H₂O)](ClO₄)₂ (8). All complexes were fully characterized, and the X-ray structures vary from four-coordinate square-planar, to five-coordinate square-pyramidal or trigonal-bipyramidal. The neutral ligands coordinate via the pyridyl N atom and carbonyl O atom in a bidentate fashion. The spectroscopic properties are typical of mononuclear copper(II) species with similar ligand sets, and are consistent their X-ray structures.     

Properties of chemical vapour deposited nanocrystalline TiO2 thin films and their use in dye-sensitized solar cells

Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films have been prepared using titanium(IV) isopropoxide as a precursor onto the glass and fluorine doped tin oxide coated glass substrates by chemical vapour deposition technique at 400 °C substrate temperature. X-ray diffraction study confirms the polycrystalline nature of TiO₂ with anatase phase having tetragonal crystal structure. The films are 975 nm thick and transparent having transmittance grater than 80%. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images reveal the nanocrystalline morphology with grain size of 200 nm. The film shows a sharp absorption edge near 350 nm. Photoelectrochemical study shows that TiO₂ thin film sensitized with Brown Orange dye is found to exhibit relatively maximum I_sc and V_oc among the studied dyes. The values of fill factor (FF) and efficiency (η) for the dye-sensitized solar cell (Brown Orange dye-sensitized TiO₂) are 0.54 and 0.17%, respectively. Such films would serve as better prospects for dye-sensitized solar cells.     

添加剂对TiO2/水分散体流变性的影响

研究了TiO₂生产中有关助剂对其流变性能的影响,得到了TiO₂/水分散体的流变性能与三乙醇胺用量之间的关系,并找到了最佳用量.实验发现,六偏磷酸钠为分散剂时,其使用效果有时间依赖性;碳酸铵作絮凝剂时则对分散体的流变性能和形成的絮凝体有影响.     

Molecular, supramolecular structure and catalytic activity of transition metal complexes of phenoxy acetic acid derivatives

Six mononuclear complexes [M(L₁)₂(H₂O)₄] (M = Co(II), 1a and M = Mn(II), 1b), [Cu(L₁)₂(H₂O)₂] (1c), [Cu(L₁)₂(H₂O)(Py)₂] (1d), [Cu(L₃)(H₂O)Cl] · H₂O (3a) and [Co(Sal)(H₂O)(Py)₃] · 2ClO₄ · H₂O (3b) of phenoxyacetic acid derivatives and Schiff base were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The Co(II) (1a) and Mn(II) (1b) complexes are isomorphous. X-ray crystal structural analyses reveal that these coordination complexes form polymeric structure via formation of different types of hydrogen bonding and π-stacking interactions in solid. Thermal analysis along with the powder X-ray diffraction data of these complexes shows the importance of the coordinated and/or crystal water molecules in stabilizing the MOF structure. Complexes 1a, 1c, 3a show marginal catalytic activity in the oxidation of olefins to epoxides in the presence of i-butyraldehyde and molecular oxygen.