Cadmium(II) and Zinc(II) Coordination Polymers with 1D Ladder and 2D Basket Weave Layer Structures Constructed from a New T‐Shaped Ligand

A novel imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridin‐2‐one ligand, 3,3‐bis(carboxymethyl)imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridin‐2‐one (H2L), was conveniently synthesized and acts as a three‐connecting T‐shaped building block. Hydrothermal treatment of the H2L ligand with Cd(ClO4)2·6H2O or Zn(ClO4)2·6H2O gives two new coordination polymers, [CdL(H2O)2]n (1) or [ZnL(H2O)]n (2). Compound 1 consists of a rare 1D ladder‐like chain and 2 is the first example of a polymer with a 2D basket weave network. Solid‐state photoluminescent analyses of 1 and 2 show that they display strong fluorescent emissions. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)