En-Qing Gao and co-workers at the East China Normal University, Shanghai, and colleagues at Nankai University, Tianjin, in China, have synthesized two isomorphous Co(II) and Mn(II) 3D coordination polymers containing tetrazolate-5-carboxylate. The structures exhibit a simple yet novel type of self-penetrating 3D net which may help to extend current knowledge of structural topologies. 

                  

Another interesting finding is that whilst both coordination polymers are isomorphous, they exhibit remarkably different magnetic properties and could therefore have very different applications. 

The motivation behind this work was to design new bridging ligands that could afford novel magnetic materials. Gao and his team chose tetrazolate-5-carboxylate as the ligand, due to tetrazolate and carboxylate groups being known as versatile structural bridges and magnetic couplers. 

In the future, Gao expects the use of this new bridging ligand to lead to more coordination compounds with diverse structures and magnetic properties. In addition, 'we expect that it is possible to find novel self-penetrating nets by using new auxiliary bridging ligands of different length and geometry,' said Gao. 

Michael Brown