Construction of metal-organic frameworks through coordination and hydrogen bonding interactions: Syntheses, structures and photoluminescent properties of metal complexes with macrocyclic ligand

A macrocyclic ligand L with two diethylenetriamine units linked by two rigid biphenylene spacers was used as building block for construction of metal-organic frameworks. A silver(I) complex with macrocyclic and open-chain mix-type ligands [Ag2(L)(L′)](ClO4)2 (1) [L′=1,6-bis(4-imidazol-1′-ylmethylphenyl)-2,5-diazahexane] was obtained by reaction of L and L′ together with AgClO4·H2O. It is interesting that the open-chain tetradentate ligand L′ only served as a bidentate ligand to bridge the Ag2L units into an infinite one-dimensional (1D) cationic chain. Neutral 1D chain coordination polymer [Cu2(L)(μ-SO4)2]·3H2O·3MeOH (2) is formed by sulfate bridges between the neighboring Cu2L units. When L reacted with nickel(II) sulfate instead of copper(II) sulfate, a monomacrocycle molecular complex [Ni2(L)(H2O)4(SO4)2] (3) was obtained in which the sulfate anion acts as monodentate ligands rather than as bridges. When Cd(II) salts were used for the reactions with L, another two neutral 1D coordination polymers, [Cd2(L)(μ-Cl)2Cl2]·2H2O (4) and [Cd2(L)(μ-Br)2Br2] (5), with the same structure were isolated. All the synthesized complexes exhibit three-dimensional framework structures linked by various hydrogen bonds. The photoluminescent properties of the synthesized complexes were studied in the solid state at room temperature, and the Ag(I) and Cd(II) complexes were found to show strong blue luminescence.