Assembly of large simple 1D and rare polycatenated 3D molecular ladders from T-shaped building blocks containing a new, long N,N '-bidentate ligand

Molecular ladders [Co-2(nbpy4)(3)(NO3)(4)] . solvents and [Cd-2( nbpy(4))(3)(NO3)(4)] (nbpy4 = N,N'-bis-(4-pyridinylmethylene)-1,5- naphthalenediamine) were synthesized via self-assembly; the former is a large, simple, noninterpenetrated 1D ladder that contains guest solvent molecules between the rungs, while the latter exists as 1D ladders in a rare four-fold interlocked 3D structure.