A binuclear tetrahedral zinc(II) complex of 2-(2-pyridyl)benzo[1,2-d;4,5-d′]diimidazole with strong blue fluorescence

A binuclear Zn(II) complex: Na[Zn2(pbdiim)Cl5] · 1.5H2O (pbdiim = 2-(2-pyridyl)benzo[1,2-d;4,5-d′]diimidazole) (1) has been prepared and the crystal structure determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The pbdiim ligand coordinates to two zinc ions in which each zinc ion adopts a distorted tetrahedral geometry. Complex 1 has a more planar structure and displays strong blue fluorescence at room temperature than the pbdiim molecule.