In the current work, we have managed
to design and synthesize a
set of four new sulfur coordination polymers, namely, [ZnCl2(Ls)2]
n
(1), [CdCl2(Ls)2]
n
(2), [Cd(NCS)(μ2-SCN)2(Ls)2]
n
(3), and {[Hg(μ2-Cl)(Ls)2][ClO4]}
n
(4) using a branch tube method. They have been fully characterized
using several techniques including elemental analysis, Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction,
photoluminescence spectroscopy, UV–vis, and single-crystal
X-ray diffraction. Polymer 1 was synthesized directly
by the reaction of zinc ions with the Ls ligand, while
polymer 2, which is isostructural with 1, was synthesized by a single-crystal-to-single-crystal postsynthetic
modification of polymer 1 where Zn(II) ions were substituted
by Cd(II) ions. The effect of the anion on changing the topology has
been carried out in polymer 3 using a thiocyanate anion
in which SCN– groups were bonded to the metal centers
in both terminal and bridging coordination fashions to form a two-dimensional
network structure. The competition between halogen and uncoordinated
perchlorate anions along with the Ls ligand constructed
a cationic one-dimensional network structure in {[Hg(μ2-Cl)(Ls)2][ClO4]}
n
in which halogen atoms bridged between the
metal centers and perchlorates counterbalanced the charge. The title
polymers were considered as iodine and H2S adsorbents,
and their kinetics were studied in detail. All polymers showed extreme
stability toward both pollutants, and polymer 4 removed
more than 99% of I2 from the solution. The presence of
halogen and ClO4
– anions in polymer 4 was the key factor for its best removal efficiency in this
group.