Syntheses, Structures, and Photochemical Properties of Six New Metal-Organic Frameworks Based on Aromatic Dicarboxylate Acids and V-Shaped Imidazole Ligands

Solvothermal reactions of 4,4'-bis(imidazol-1-yl)diphenyl ether (BIDPE) with deprotonated 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (H(2)bdc) in the presence of cadmium, zinc, cobalt, nickel, and manganese salts in H2O or H2O/DMF yielded six new complexes, namely, {[Co(BIDPE)(bdc)](2)center dot(H2O)(2)(DMF)}(n) (1), {[Cd(BIDPE)(bdc)](4)center dot(H2O)(4)(DMF)(2)}(n) (2), {[Zn(BIDNE)(bdc)](2)center dot(H2O)(2)(DMF)}(n) (3), [Cd-3(BIDPE)(2)(bdc)(3)](n) (4), and [Ni(BIDPE)(bdc)(H2O)(2)](n) (5), and [Mn(bdc)(BIDPE)(H2O)](n) (6). These complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. Complexes 1 and 3 reveal a 2-fold interpenetrating three-dimensional (3D) framework constructed from BIDPE and H(2)bdc with Co and Zn salts; complexes 2 and 4 have the same staring materials but possess different 3D frameworks and are prepared from BIDPE and H(2)bdc under different reaction conditions. In complexes Sand 6, BIDPE and H(2)bdc link Ni and Mn centers, respectively, to generate 2D -> 2D interlocked sheets. The thermal stabilities and photochemical properties of these new complexes have also been studied.