Anisotropic Crystals Based on a Main-Group Coordination Polymer with Alignment of Rigid π Skeletons

We succeeded in the alignment of π skeletons, resulting in the formation of anisotropic crystals. The combination of plumbacyclopentadienylidene, which has a divalent lead atom incorporated into the π skeleton, and 1,4-dioxane afforded a coordination polymer, where the π skeletons are completely aligned in the same direction. The resulting plumbylene chains are also aligned in the same direction in the solid state, and therefore the crystals are noncentrosymmetric, showing second-harmonic generation (SHG) properties. Using pyrazine instead of 1,4-dioxane afforded an adduct composed of three plumbole units and two pyrazine molecules, and the crystals are symmetric and exhibit no SHG properties. The solid-state structures and optical properties are highly dependent on the Lewis base utilized. The present findings spotlight the use of group 14 divalent species incorporated into a π skeleton as a novel, useful method for the creation of a π-aligned coordination polymer with NLO properties