Coordination polymers and isomerism; a study using silver(i) and a π-stacked ligand

Abstract

The ligand 2,5-bis(2-pyridylmethylsulfanylmethyl)pyrazine (L) was prepared by the base coupling of 2-(sulfanylmethyl)pyridine and 2,5-bis(chloromethyl)pyrazine. This new ligand was treated with AgClO4 in a 1 ∶ 1 metal-to-ligand ratio and with AgNO3 in a 2 ∶ 1 metal-to-ligand ratio to give coordination polymers. The crystal structures of {[Ag(L)]ClO4}∞ (1) and {[Ag2(L)](NO3)2}∞ (2) were determined. The Ag(I) ions in the one-dimensional polymeric chains of 1 adopted square-pyramidal geometries with the pyridine and pyrazine N donors coordinated in an extremely bent fashion. The structure of 2 revealed two isomeric polymer chains in the one crystal forming a single supramolecular array. The isomeric polymers differed in the donor atoms about the Ag(I) ions and in the arrangement of adjacent ligands along the chain. A feature of both structures was that L adopted a three-layer π-stacked arrangement.