Synthesis, structural characterization, and fluorescence of a series of 1D rare earth coordination polymers with a substituted iminodiacetate ligand

The combination of the polycarboxylic ligand N-(4-carboxy-benzyl)iminodiacetic acid (LH 3 ) with rare earth (RE) chlorides under hydrothermal conditions leads to the formation of 1D cationic coordination polymers formulated as {[RE(LH 2 ) 2 (H 2 O) 4 ]Cl} n [where RE = Y (1), Eu (2), Tb (3) and Yb (4)]. All compounds are isostructural and characterized with IR spectroscopy, and thermal (TG) studies. Compounds 1, 2 and 4 were characterized with single crystal X-ray diffraction while 2 and 3 with fluorescence spectroscopy. The ligand utilizes only two of the available for coordination carboxylates and the crystal structures are stabilized by an extended array of H-bonds that gives rise to a 3D supramolecular architecture.