A new complex, [Zn(L)(2)] (1), has been hydrothermally prepared by the reaction of ZnSO4 center dot 7H(2)O with 2-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)benzoic acid (HL) incorporating 4-imidazolyl and carboxylate functional groups, and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Complex 1 crystallizes in monoclinic, space group C2/c with a = 9.8349(9), b = 7.4947(7), c = 24.104(2) A, beta = 92.889(2), V = 1774.4(3) A(3), Z = 4, C20H14N4O4Zn, M-r = 439.72, D-c = 1.646 g/cm(3), mu = 1.422 mm(-1), S = 1.003, F(000) = 896, the final R = 0.0395 and wR = 0.0874 for 11386 observed reflections (I > 2 sigma(I)). Single-crystal X-ray structural analysis reveals that complex 1 features a two-dimensional (2D) framework with 6(3)-hcb topology. Moreover, the photoluminescent property of 1 was also discussed.