Halide-regulated Hg(II) coordination polymers with 3,5-bis(4-pyridyl)-4-(3-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazole showing diverse electrochemical biosensing toward penicillin

Abstract Two Hg(II) coordination polymers, namely [Hg2(L434)Cl4]n (1) and [Hg3(L434)2Br6]n (2) (L434 = 3,5-bis(4-pyridyl)-4-(3-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazole) have been synthesized by reaction of L434 with HgCl2 or HgBr2 under the same conditions. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses indicate that complexes 1 and 2 show distinct 1D coordination motifs. The structural distinction on the two complexes can be ascribed to the usage of different halide anions from Cl– to Br–. In addition, the electrochemical biosensing performance in detecting penicillin based on complexes 1 and 2 have also been investigated. The results indicate that complex 2 was more feasible for the determination of penicillin compared with 1.