A novel chiral coordination polymer [AgSCN(phen)]n (1) (phen = phenanthroline) has been designed and synthesized. Compound 1 has been obtained by solvothermal reaction of AgSCN and phenanthroline. The title compound has been fully characterized by Infrared spectrum, elemental analysis, and X-ray single crystal diffraction etc. Structural analysis has revealed that complex 1 crystallizes in P21 chiral space group of monoclinic crystal system. The chiral compound 1 shows an unusual asymmetric one-dimensional network derived from a zigzag [Ag–S–Ag]n chain with the thiocyanate ions and phenanthroline ligands hanging along the opposite sides of the chain, respectively. The diagram of the packed unit cell along the b axis is very similar to the Chinese “taiji” patterning. The X-ray powder diffraction, optical absorption spectrum and thermal stability of the title complex have been studied. The photoluminescent property of compound 1 at solid state has also been investigated.

A new ligand, 1,4-bis((5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-ylthio)methyl)benzene (L), has been designed and synthesized. Two coordination polymers based on copperI, II halide clusters and the ligand, Cu4II4L(CH3CN)2 (1) and Cu3IICl6L(CH3CN)2 (2), have been obtained by solution reactions at room temperature. Single crystal X-ray structural analyses revealed that complexes 1 and 2 both show one dimensional frameworks derived from different coordination modes of the cluster cores with the ligand. The cluster cores of 1 and 2 are unusual open ladder-shaped Cu4II4(CH3CN)2 and step-like Cu3IICl6(CH3CN)2, respectively. The optical absorption spectra, the thermal stabilities and the luminescent properties of the title complexes have also been studied.