Unprecedented Seven- and Eight-Connected Lanthanide Coordination Networks

Eight-coordinate metal-ion nodes are linked through 4,4-bipyridine-N,N′-dioxide (L) ligands to form the first examples of eight- and seven-connected coordination networks. Thus, whereas [La(L)4](CF3SO3)3 adopts an eight-connected body-centered hypercubic CsCl-like lattice (see picture), [La(L)4](BPh4)(ClO4)2 shows eight-coordinate, but seven-connected, nodes linked in an unprecedented 41762 topology.