Seeking tetrameric transition metal phosphonate with a D4R core and organising it into a 3-D supramolecular assembly

The first cubic zinc phosphonate [tBuPO(3)Zn(2-apy)](4) (1) whose core resembles the D4R SBU of zeolites, has been synthesised from a reaction between zinc acetate, tert-butylphosphonic acid and 2-aminopyridine at room temperature; the X-ray structure determination reveals that the molecules of , which crystallise in the tetragonal I4(1)/a space group with crystallographically imposed 4 symmetry, form a 3-D supramolecular assembly aided by N-H...O hydrogen bonding.