Tuning structural topology of zinc(II)-benzoate coordination complexes with 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene by controlling metal-to-ligand ratios and solvent systems: Their photoluminescence and catalytic activities

Zinc-benzoates can be rationally tuned to form four different types of structures with a bridging bpe (1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene) ligand by controlling zinc(benzoate)-to-ligand ratios and solvent systems, and they reveal three coordination polymers having different 1-D characteristics and a dinuclear Z-type molecule. Reactivity study of the compounds 1-4 for the transesterification of a variety of esters showed that the coordination polymers 1-3 have better activity than the discrete dinuclear molecule 4. Strong emissions of compounds 1-3 were observed at 393 nm for 1, 378 nm for 2, and 393 nm for 3, respectively, but weak luminescence was observed at 380 nm for 4 under the same experimental conditions. The thermal stabilities of these complexes were also examined.