Synthesis and structure of a bimetallic hybrid inorganic/organic layered coordination polymer with an octamolybdate cluster variant trapped between the α and δ isomeric forms

Hydrothermal combination of CuSO4, MoO3, and 4-phenylpyridine (4-phpyr) under basic conditions afforded purple crystals of {[Cu(4-phpyr)4]2(Mo8O26)·4-phpyr}, in which the octamolybdate clusters adopt an asymmetric α/δ intermediate structural variant. Paddle-wheel shaped [Cu(4-phpyr)4]2+ cations link adjacent clusters into a 2-D rhomboid grid pattern. Uncoordinated 4-phpyr molecules lie in incipient voids in the interlamellar regions.