Luminescent zinc and cadmium complexes incorporating 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate and a protonated kinked organodiimine: From a hydrogen-bonded layer motif to thermally robust two-dimensional coordination polymers

Hydrothermal treatment of zinc chloride, 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (H₃BTC), and 4,4′-dipyridylamine (dpa) afforded two different complexes depending on reaction conditions, which were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Under acidic conditions, a discrete neutral molecular species with formulation Zn(HBTC)₂(Hdpa)₂] (1) was isolated, which aggregates into two-dimensional hydrogen-bonded layers. Under more basic conditions, the two-dimensional layered coordination polymer Zn(BTC)(Hdpa)] (2) is obtained, which manifests covalent linkage of Zn(BTC)(Hdpa)] serpentine chain motifs into 3-connected undulating 4.8² topology 2-D layers. Both 1 and 2 possess tetrahedral coordination at Zn. Use of cadmium nitrate in the synthesis resulted in Cd(BTC)(H₂O)(Hdpa)] (3), which displays a similar layer topology as 2 but with significant adjustments imparted by octahedral coordination at Cd. In all cases, supramolecular hydrogen bonding promoted by Hdpa ligands provide an important assistive structure-directing role. All materials display blue luminescence upon excitation with ultraviolet light, ascribed to intraligand transitions. Crystallographic data: 1: monoclinic, C2/c, a=25.389(6) Å, b=9.811(2) Å, c=17.309(4) Å, and β=128.957(3)°, 2: monoclinic, P2₁/c, a=13.212(17)c, b=17.15(2) Å, c=7.506(10) Å, and β=93.71(2)°, and 3: monoclinic, C2/c, a=14.241(6) Å, b=15.218(6) Å, c=17.976(7) Å, and β=109.330(6)°.