Seeking tetrameric transition metal phosphonate with a D4R core and organising it into a 3-D supramolecular assembly

Abstract

The first cubic zinc phosphonate [tBuPO₃Zn(2-apy)]₄ (1) whose core resembles the D4R SBU of zeolites, has been synthesised from a reaction between zinc acetate, tert-butylphosphonic acid and 2-aminopyridine at room temperature; the X-ray structure determination reveals that the molecules of 1, which crystallise in the tetragonal /4₁/a space group with crystallographically imposed 4̅ symmetry, form a 3-D supramolecular assembly aided by N-H···O hydrogen bonding.