[CuI(im)]∞: Is this Air‐Stable Copper(I) Imidazolate (8²10)‐Net Polymer the Species Responsible for the Corrosion‐Inhibiting Properties of Imidazole with Copper Metal?

An air‐stable two‐dimensional (2D) copper( I ) imidazolate polymer, [Cu I (im)] ∞ ( 1 ), with a d 10 ‐d 10 interaction, was synthesized solvothermally and structurally characterized by X‐ray crystallography: a = 8.069(2), b = 8.068(2), c = 13.425(3) Å, β = 99.414(3)°, monoclinic, C 2/ c. This is the first example of an air‐stable copper( I ) imidazolate polymer that may play a significant role in the corrosion‐inhibition mechanism of imidazole (or its derivatives) with copper metal. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2004)