Coordination polymer networks with O- and N-donors: What they are, why and how they are made

With this review on metal ion containing coordination polymer networks, we wish to highlight the current research in the field by giving a short overview on the concept of coordination polymers networks, how and why they are made. Several reviews on different aspects of coordination polymer compounds will be grouped and shortly presented in the introduction. Recent typical examples for different dimensionalities of the networks will be presented as well as representative compounds for specific applications. One focus will also be the problematic of polymorphism, respectively, supramolecular isomerism and pseudo-polymorphism or solvates. With a view to the large number of polymer coordination compounds that can be found in the literature, we will limit the review to the more recent results in the field and restrain the examples to the more common O-donor and mainly N-donor ligands. As our own interests lie in the field of group 11 elements, some focuses are more related with this field.The expression “Coordination Polymer” was first used by J.C. Bailar in 1967, when he compared organic polymers with inorganic compounds which can be considered as polymeric species. In comparison he established rules for the building and the required properties of new species involving metal ions and organic ligands [J.C. Bailar Jr., Prep. Inorg. React. 1 (1964) 1]. During the last 15 years the number of publications concerning coordination polymers has dramatically increased from 100 articles per year to 1000 in 2004. What really are coordination polymers? Why do these huge developments happen?