Poly[[sesqui[μ2‐1,4‐bis(imidazol‐1‐ylmethyl)benzene‐κ2N:N′](carbonato‐κ2O,O′)copper(II)] 1,4‐bis(imidazol‐1‐ylmethyl)benzene hemisolvate pentahydrate]

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, {Cu(CO₃)(C₁₄H₁₄N₄)_1.5]·0.5C₁₄H₁₄N₄·5H₂O}_n, contains one Cu^II cation in a slightly distorted square‐pyramidal coordination environment, one CO₃^2? anion, one full and two half 1,4‐bis(imidazol‐1‐ylmethyl)benzene (bix) ligands, one half‐molecule of which is uncoordinated, and five uncoordinated water molecules. One of the coordinated bix ligands and the uncoordinated bix molecule are situated about centers of symmetry, located at the centers of the benzene rings. The coordinated bix ligands link the copper(II) ions into a Cu(bix)_1.5]_n molecular ladder. These molecular ladders do not form interpenetrated ladders but are arranged in an ABAB parallel terrace, i.e. with the ladders arranged one above another, with sequence A translated with respect to B by 8 Å. To best of our knowledge, this arrangement has not been observed in any of the molecular ladder frameworks synthesized to date. The coordination environment of the Cu^II atom is completed by two O atoms of the CO₃^2? anion. The framework is further strengthened by extensive O—H...O and O—H...N hydrogen bonds involving the water molecules, the O atoms of the CO₃^2? anion and the N atoms of the bix ligands. This study describes the first example of a molecular ladder coordination polymer based on bix and therefore demonstrates further the usefulness of bix as a versatile multidentate ligand for constructing coordination polymers with interesting architectures.