A new tetrakis-substituted pyrazine carboxylic acid, 3,3′,3′′,3′′′-{[pyrazine-2,3,5,6-tetrayltetrakis(methylene)]tetrakis(sulfanediyl)}tetrapropionic acid: crystal structures of two triclinic polymorphs and of two potassium–organic frameworks

Two polymorphs of the title tetrakis-substituted pyrazine carboxylic acid, 3,3′,3′′,3′′′-{[pyrazine-2,3,5,6-tetrayltetrakis(methylene))tetrakis(sulfanediyl]}tetrapropionic acid, C20H28N2O8S4, (H4L1), have been obtained, H4L1_A and H4L1_B. Each structure crystallized with half a molecule in the asymmetric unit of a triclinic P\overline{1} unit cell. The whole molecules are generated by inversion symmetry, with the pyrazine rings being located about inversion centers. The crystals of H4L1_B were of poor quality, but the X-ray diffraction analysis does show the change in conformation of the –CH2—S—CH2—CH2– side chains compared to those in polymorph H4L1_A. In the crystal of H4L1_A, molecules are linked by two pairs of O—H...O hydrogen bonds, enclosing R22(8) ring motifs forming layers parallel to plane (100), which are linked by C—H...O hydrogen bonds to form a supramolecular framework. In the crystal of H4L1_B, molecules are also linked by two pairs of O—H...O hydrogen bonds enclosing R22(8) ring motifs, however here, chains are formed propagating in the [001] direction and stacking up the a-axis. Reaction of H4L1 with Hg(NO3)2 in the presence of a potassium acetate buffer did not produce the expected binuclear complex, instead crystals of a potassium–organic framework were obtained, poly[(μ-3-{[(3,5,6-tris{[(2-carboxyethyl)sulfanyl]methyl}pyrazin-2-yl)methyl]sulfanyl}propanoato)potassium], [K(C20H27N2O8S4)]n (KH3L1). The organic mono-anion possesses inversion symmetry with the pyrazine ring being located about an inversion center. A carboxy H atom is disordered by symmetry and the charge is compensated for by a potassium ion. A similar reaction with Zn(NO3)2 resulted in the formation of crystals of a dipotassium-organic framework, poly[(μ-3,3′-{[(3,6-bis{[(2-carboxyethyl)sulfanyl]methyl}pyrazine-2,5-diyl)bis(methylene)]bis(sulfanediyl)}dipropionato)dipotassium], [K2(C20H26N2O8S4)]n (K2H2L1). Here, the organic di-anion possesses inversion symmetry with the pyrazine ring being located about an inversion center. Two symmetry-related acid groups are deprotonated and the charges are compensated for by two potassium ions.