Abstract
Using three nonlinear dicarboxylates, isophthalate (ipa), 4,4′-oxybis(benzoate) (oba), and ethylenedi(4-oxybenzoate) (eoba), we have prepared five neutral infinite copper(II) dicarboxylate coordination polymers containing lateral aromatic chelate ligands, namely [Cu(ipa)(2,2′-bpy)]n⋅2 nH2O (1), [Cu2(ipa)2(phen)2H2O]n (2), [Cu(oba)(phen)]n (3), [Cu(oba)(2,2′-bpy)]n (4), and [Cu(eoba)(phen)]n (5; 2,2′-bpy=2,2′-bipyridine, phen=1,10-phenanthroline) by hydrothermal synthesis. X-ray single-crystal structural analyses of these complexes reveal that the nonlinear flexible or V-shaped dicarboxylates can induce the helicity or flexuousity of the polymeric chains and aromatic chelate ligands are important in providing potential supramolecular recognition sites for π–π aromatic stacking interactions. An appropriate combination of the bridging dicarboxylate and aromatic chelate can induce a pair of single-stranded helical or flexuous chains to generate a double-stranded helix or molecular zipper through supramolecular interactions, respectively.