Syntheses and structures of three coordination polymers based on 4-methylbenzenethiolates of Zn(II) and Cd(II) and bipyridine

Using 4-methylbenzenethiolates of Zn or Cd as precursors and 4,4′-bipyridine (4,4′-bpy) as bridges, we have synthesized three new Zn(II)/Cd(II) coordination polymers, {Cd(4,4′-bpy)₂(NCS)₂] · 2(SC₆H₄CH₃-4)₂} _n (1), {Zn(4,4′-bpy)(SC₆H₄CH₃-4)₂] · DMF} _n (2) and {Zn(4,4′-bpy)(SC₆H₄CH₃-4)₂] · H₂O · 0.5CH₃OH} _n (3). Compound 1 is a 2-D sheet-like square polymer in which four 4,4′-bpy ligands and two isothiocyanate ligands complete the octahedral Cd(II) coordination sphere. Compounds 2 and 3 have similar coordination around Zn(II), but have different polymer structures. In 2, Zn(II) centers are linked via a bidentate 4,4′-bipyridine to form 1-D twisted arched chains, which is a new structural type for Zn(II). Compound 3 has 1-D zigzag chains. The 2-D sheets in 1 and 1-D chains in 2 and 3 are assembled via intermolecular C–H ··· π and C–H ··· S interactions into 3-D supramolecular networks. C–H ··· S interactions are a vital factor in constructing the sulfur-containing coordination polymers. Different coordination modes and packing schemes in 1–3 show that the guest molecule has a critical influence on formation of polymers.