Coordination polymers that contain accessible metal centres - Synthesis and structure of a nickel cluster connected porphyrin network

A porous nickel porphyrin coordination polymer was prepared via solvothermal synthesis starting from 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(4-carboxyphenyl)-21H,23H-porphine and Ni(NO3)(2)-6H(2)O. The product was characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction and elemental analysis. Space group: P (1) over bar, triclinic, a = 9.817(2), b = 15.465(3), c 17.928(3) angstrom, alpha = 94.14(1), beta = 103.30(1), gamma = 97.77(1)degrees, V 2609.4(9) angstrom(3), Z = 2, R = 0.079, wR(2) (all data) = 0.225. The structure determination revealed the porous coordination polymer: a) to be a nickel cluster connected porphyrin 3-D network, which can provide up to six coordination sites per cluster unit after removal of the labile bound water ligands and b) to have two types of channels of the dimensions [atom to atom distances] of 18 x 6 and 13 x 6 angstrom(2).