Metal complexes as templates: syntheses, structures, and luminescent properties of two zinc phosphonocarboxylates with ABW-zeolite topology

Two novel zinc phosphonocarboxylates, Zn(3)(pbc)(2)(bpy)(H(2)O)·H(2)O (1) and Zn(2)(pbc)(2)·Zn(bpy)(H(2)O)(4)·2H(2)O (2) (pbc = 4-phosphono-benzoic acid, bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine), were hydrothermally synthesized and structurally characterized. Both of them exhibit zeolitic ABW topology in which double-zigzag inorganic chains are cross-linked by the organic parts. It is notable that the metal complex Zn(bpy)(H(2)O)(x) plays different roles in the two compounds. In 1, the Zn(bpy)(H(2)O) units coordinate with the phosphonate and carboxylate oxygen atoms and participate in the construction of the three-dimensional framework. In 2, the in situ generated Zn(bpy)(H(2)O)(4)](2+) cation acts as a template, which directs the ABW-type open-framework by strong hydrogen bonds. It is the first example where a metal complex is used as a template in the synthesis of metal phosphonates. The luminescent properties of 1 and 2 are also investigated.