Hybrid compounds with chain and layered structures formed by β-alanine

Abstract

Inorganic–organic hybrid compounds of the amino acid alanine have been prepared and characterized for the first time. Thus by the reaction of β-alanine with copper salts, one-dimensional hybrid chain compounds of the formulae [Cu(CO 2CH 2CH 2NH 3)Cl 2], I, and [Cu(H 2O) 2(NH 3CH 2CH 2CO 2)][SO 4]·H 2O, II, and a two-dimensional layered compound [NH 4] 0.33[Cu 0.5(CO 2CH 2CH 2NH 2)Cl 0.33]·H 2O, III, have been obtained and their structures established by X-ray crystallography and other techniques. Hybrid chain alaninates of lead and strontium of the formulae [Pb(CO 2CH 2CH 2NH 3) 2(NO 3) 2], IV and [Sr(CO 2CH 2CH 2NH 3) 2(NO 3) 2], V have also been obtained by the reaction of the corresponding metal salts with alanine. The linear chain compounds, I, II, IV and V contain extended metal–X–metal (X = Cl or O) bonds and have the I 1O 0 type inorganic (I) and organic (O) connectivities. The layered compound III also has metal–X–metal bonds with I 2O 0 type connectivity. Interestingly, the zero-dimensional copper alaninate dimer of the composition [Cu 2(CO 2CH 2CH 2NH 3) 4Cl 2]·2Cl·H 2O can be transformed to the linear chain structure I or the layered structure III under mild conditions.