Solution and solid-state photoluminescence of dinuclear Pb(II) dicarboxylate compound with 2,6-bis(benzimidazolyl)pyridine: The lone-pair stereochemistry and its effect on supramolecular interaction

[Pb2(boa)(Hbbp)2] has been synthesized by treating 4-carboxylphenoxyacetic (H2boa) and 2,6-bis(benzimidazolyl)pyridine (H2bbp) with metal salts under hydrothermal conditions. Adjacent metal centers forms dinuclear metal complex through carboxylato groups as building blocks. The arrangement of the half deprotonated H2bbp ligand and carboxylate groups exhibits a coordination gap around the Pb(II) ion, occupied possibly by a stereoactive lone pair of electrons on Pb(II), with the coordination environment around the lead atoms is hemidirected. This system is a particularly clear example that coordination sphere of a unique dinuclear Pb(II) compound was controlled by lone pair activity, weak Pb···O interactions, π–π stacking and the hydrogen bonds. The above weak interactions influence differently strong red-shifted effect about the solution and solid-state photoluminescence of the compound, compared to the free ligand.