A novel chiral coordination polymer, [Cu(C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>CH(OH)COO)(μ-C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>CH(OH)COO)]
(<b>1</b>-L and <b>1</b>-D), was synthesized through a
reaction of copper
acetate with l-mandelic acid at room temperature. Although
previously reported copper mandelate prepared by hydrothermal reaction
was a centrosymmetric coordination polymer because of the racemization
of mandelic acid, the current coordination polymer shows noncentrosymmetry
and a completely different structure from that previously reported.
The X-ray crystallography for <b>1</b>-L revealed that the copper
center of the compound showed a highly distorted octahedral structure
bridged by a chiral mandelate ligand in the unusual coordination mode
to construct a one-dimensional (1D) zigzag chain structure. These
1D chains interdigitated each other to give a layered structure as
a result of the formation of multiple aromatic interactions and hydrogen
bonds between hydroxyl and carboxylate moieties at mandelate ligands.
The coordination polymer <b>1</b>-L belongs to the noncentrosymmetric
space group of C2 to show piezoelectric properties and second harmonic
generation (SHG) activity
