Crystallographic Evidence for Ionic Molecular Building Blocks in the Assembly of a Two-Dimensional Metal−Organic Framework

The solid compounds [La(3)(chel)(Hchel)(3)(H(2)O)(8)]center dot H(2)O (1) and [La(Hchel)(H(2)O)(6)](2)[La(2)(Hchel)(4)(H(2)O)(4)]center dot 10H(2)O (2) (H(3)chel = 4-hydroxypyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid or chelidamic acid) were isolated from aqueous solutions upon mixing La(3+) cations and chelidamic acid at various pHs (pH 5-10). Compound I is a two-dimensional (213) coordination polymer consisting of La(Hchel)and La(Hchel)(2) units connected bycoordination bonds. Compound 2 is an ion-pair complex made Lip of alternating layers of La(Hchel)(+) and La(2)(Hchel)(4)(2-) ionic units linked between them by lattice water Molecules. The comparison of the two structures showed that the 2D coordination polymer, 1, is formed by a dehydration-condensation reaction between the La(Hchel)(+) and La(2)(Hchel)(4)(2-) units. The relative positions of these units in the crystal lattice suggest that the assembly of 1 takes place by a dehydration-condensation reaction between oligomeric layers of opposite charge and not by reaction between individual ions of opposite charge. Crystal Growth & Design