Two supramolecular architectures constructed from dinuclear zinc(II) unit

Two supramolecular architectures, [Zn2(D,L-sala)2(4-H2Npy)2·2H2O]n (1) (4-H2Npy ¼ 4-aminopyridine) and [Zn2(D,L-sala)2(4,40- bpy)·0.5H2O]n (2) (4,40-bpy ¼ 4,40-bipyridine), have been constructed from dinuclear zinc(II) unit [Zn2(D,L-sala)2] (sala ¼ N-(2- hydroxybenzyl)-alanine anion). For 1, four dimmers link together through N–H· · ·O hydrogen bonds to give rise to a square ring that is extended into two-dimensional supramolecular network. For 2, dinuclear units are connected by 4,40-bipyridine to generate a onedimensional chain with ladder structure, which is connected through hydrogen bonds into three-dimensional supramolecular framework. Complex 1 exhibits intense photoluminescence at 402 nm upon photo-excitation at 348 nm, while complex 2 gives two intense photoluminescent peaks at 464 and 613 nm upon photo-excitation at 350 nm. q 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.