Silver(I) coordination polymers with 3,3′,5,5′-tetrasubstituted 4,4′-bipyridine ligands: towards new porous chiral materials

Coordination polymers (CP) assembled from 3,3′,5,5′-tetrasubstituted 4,4′-bipyridines and silver salts have been prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction. Silver-CPs based on infinite Ag–bipyridine chains were obtained where one or two halogen atoms strongly interacted with Ag. A homochiral MOF was also prepared using the enantiopure 3,3′-dibromo-5,5′-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-4,4′-bipyridine as ligand, while its racemic form only formed a compact CP. Preliminary applications showed that the homochiral network is able to recognize the enantiomers of rac-styrene oxide and to control the cytotoxicity level of the Ag-based MOF toward a cell line derived from adult human skin (HaCaT).