Construction of two interpenetrating coordination networks based on 4,4′-bis(1H-imidazol-1-yl-methyl)biphenyl and effect of carboxylic acids

<div><p>To investigate the construction of interpenetrating coordination networks and the effect of ligands, [Zn(bimb)(bdc)]·H₂O (<b>1</b>) and [Zn(bimb)(Hbtc)]·H₂O (<b>2</b>) [bimb = 4,4′-bis(1H-imidazol-1-yl-methyl)biphenyl; H₂bdc = 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid; H₃btc = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid] were hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, Powder X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. Complex <b>1</b> shows a 3-D <b>uoc</b> type topology with twofold interpenetration. However, <b>2</b> exhibits a different 2-D self-penetrating network owing to hydrogen bonds of Hbtc between the two interpenetrating <b>sql</b> sheets, indicating that different carboxylic ligands could affect the interpenetration structures. Photoluminescence of bimb and the two complexes are also studied.</p>