Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Synthesis of a Thiol Building Block for the Crystallization of a Semiconducting Gyroidal Metal-sulfur Framework
Published on: April 9, 2018
A novel cobalt(II) coordination polymer with an unusual four-connected 4(2).6(3).8 topology
Guo-Hua Wei1, Jin Yang, Jian-Fang Ma
1Department of Chemistry, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
In the cobalt(II) coordination polymer poly[[(mu(2)-benzene-1,3-dicarboxylato){mu(2)-1,1'-[2,2'-oxybis(ethane-2,1-diyl)]di-1H-imidazole}cobalt(II)] monohydrate], {[Co(C(10)H(14)N(4)O)(C(8)H(4)O(4))].H(2)O}(n), two crystallographically distinct Co(II) cations are four-coordinated by N(2)O(2) donor sets in distorted tetrahedral geometries. The Co(II) centers are connected by benzene-1,3-dicarboxylate (m-BDC) anions, giving two types of linear chains, which are further joined via meso-helical 1,1'-[2,2'-oxybis(ethane-2,1-diyl)]di-1H-imidazole ligands to yield a thick two-dimensional slab. The compound displays a two-dimensional four-connected 4(2).6(3).8 topology, which is unprecedented in coordination polymers.
Related Concept Videos
Valence Bond Theory
Coordination Number and Geometry
Structural Isomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly, SCN− can be...
Metal-Ligand Bonds
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.

