Copper(II) and cadmium(II) isothiocyanate coordination polymers with 4,4′‐bi‐1,2,4‐triazole

The coordination polymers catena‐poly[[[(4,4′‐bi‐1,2,4‐triazole‐κN¹)bis(thiocyanato‐κN)copper(II)]‐μ‐4,4′‐bi‐1,2,4‐triazole‐κ²N¹:N^1′] dihydrate], {[Cu(NCS)₂(C₄H₄N₆)₂]·2H₂O}_n, (I), and poly[tetrakis(μ‐4,4′‐bi‐1,2,4‐triazole‐κ²N¹:N^1′)bis(μ‐thiocyanato‐κ²N:S)tetrakis(thiocyanato‐κN)tricadmium(II)], [Cd₃(NCS)₆(C₄H₄N₆)₄]_n, (II), exhibit chain and two‐dimensional layer structures, respectively. The differentiation of the Lewis acidic nature of Cu^II and Cd^II has an influence on the coordination modes of the triazole and thiocyanate ligands, leading to topologically different polymeric motifs. In (I), copper ions are linked by bitriazole N:N′‐bridges into zigzag chains and the tetragonal–pyramidal CuN₅ environment is composed of two thiocyanate N atoms and three triazole N atoms [basal Cu—N = 1.9530 (18)–2.0390 (14) Å and apical Cu—N = 2.2637 (15) Å]. The structure of (II) contains two types of crystallographically unique Cd^II atoms. One type lies on an inversion center in a distorted CdN₆ octahedral environment, with bitriazole ligands in the equatorial plane and terminal isothiocyanate N atoms in the axial positions. The other type lies on a general position and forms centrosymmetric binuclear [Cd₂(μ‐NCS‐κ²N:S)₂(NCS)₂] units (tetragonal–pyramidal CdN₄S coordination). N:N′‐Bridging bitriazole ligands link the Cd centers into a flat (4,4)‐network.