Synthesis and characterization of a new open-framework zinc phosphite (4,4′-(C5H4N)2(CH2)3)•[Zn3(HPO3)4]

Employing 4,4'-trimethylenedipyridine as a template, a new two-dimensional zinc phosphite (4,4'-(C5H4N)(2)(CH2)(3))center dot[Zn-3(HPO3)(4)] has been prepared at room temperature and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, FTIR, elemental analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/c, with cell parameters, a = 9.3309(19) angstrom, b = 14.798(3) angstrom, c = 33.637(7) angstrom, beta = 91.11(3)degrees, V = 4643.8(16) nm(3) and Z = 4. The connectivity of the ZnO4 tetrahedra and HPO3 pseudo pyramids results in infinite corner-sharing 4-membered ring chains as second building units which are further linked by Zn-O-P bonds to form a 2-D layer that with interesting 8-membered ring channels along the [100] direction. The diprotonated 4,4'-trimethylenedipyridine molecules sit in the middle of the layers along the [100] direction and interact with the framework via hydrogen bonds.