catena-Poly[diaqua-tris(μ(3)-biphenyl-2,2-dicarboxyl-ato)disamarium(III)].

The title compound, [Sm(2)(C(14)H(8)O(4))(3)(H(2)O)(2)](n), is composed of one-dimensional chains and is isostructural with previously reported compounds [Wang et al. (2003 ▶). Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. pp. 1355-1360]. The asymmetric unit contains two Sm atoms, each of which lies on a crystallographic twofold axis. Both crystallographically independent Sm atoms are coordinated by eight O atoms in a distorted dodeca-hedral arrangement. The polymeric chains run along [001]. Adjacent chains are connected through π-π inter-actions [centroid-centroid distance = 3.450 (2) Å], forming a two-dimensional supra-molecular network.