The construction of coordination networks based on imidazole-based dicarboxylate ligand containing hydroxymethyl group

Reaction of Cd(II), Fe(II), and Cu(II) with a new ligand 2-(hydroxymethyl)-1H-imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid (H(4)hmIDC) and 4,4'-bipyridine (bpy) affords three coordination polymers of {[Cd(H(2)hmIDC)(bpy)]center dot 0.5bpy center dot H2O}(n) (1), [Fe-2(HhmIDC)(2)](n) (2), and {[Cu-2(ITC)(bpy)(H2O)(3)]center dot 2.5H(2)O}(n) (3) (ITC imidazole-2,4,5-tricarboxylic acid), respectively. Complex 1 and complex 3 are (4,4) nets in topological view and display in different packing mode, while hydroxymethyl group in complex 3 is oxidized to carboxylic group in situ. Complex 2 is a rare example of a cdl-e network containing both tetrahedral and square nodes. The hydroxymethyl groups act as a precursor and undergo different reactions directed by metal ions.