Determination of the Solvothermal Synthesis Mechanism of Metal Imidazolates by X‐ray Single‐Crystal Studies of a Photoluminescent Cadmium(II) Imidazolate and Its Intermediate Involving Piperazine

Cadmium( II ) imidazolate ( 3 ), with a twofold interpenetrating diamondoid net, was obtained in a manner similar to cobalt( II ) imidazolate. In the process, a crystallized intermediate involving piperazine ( 2 ), which was suitable for X‐ray single crystal study, was isolated. Based on the composition of 2 , a mechanism for the solvothermal synthesis of metal imidazolates was proposed. 3 : a = 9.931(2), b = 10.739(2), c = 14.622(3) Å, α = β = γ = 90°, orthorhombic, Pcab ; 2 : a = 8.243(2), b = 9.883(2), c = 12.471(3) Å, α = 107.89(3)°, β = 92.56(3)°, γ = 100.87(3)°, triclinic, P 1 . Both compounds are photoluminescent with λ max = 459 nm for 3 and 444 nm for 2 ; they also display quenching of the fluorescence with τ ≈︁ 5 ns. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2002)