Single Crystal X-ray Structure of Zinc tert-Butylphosphonate†

The reaction of Zn(OAc)2·2H2O with tert-butyl phosphonic acid (tBuPO3H2) yields the zinc phosphonate [Zn(tBuPO3)(H2O)]·H2O (1). X-ray diffraction studies reveals that compound 1 has a novel layered structural arrangement with the central zinc atoms in a tetrahedral coordination environment. This observation emphasizes the crucial role played by organic substituents on the coordination chemistry of phosphonic acid with transition metal ions.