Formation of one-dimensional metal–water chain containing discrete water octamers

Discrete water octamers containing 1D metal–water chains have been observed in the complex of [Tb2(bpdc)(Pic)2(OH2)12](Pic)2 · 4H2O · (CH3OH)2 (Pic = picrate, bpdc = 2,2′-bipyridine-3,3′-dicarboxylate) (1). The water clusters are trapped by the cooperative association of coordinate interactions as well as hydrogen bonds. The intermolecular interaction is robust enough to really act as a ‘supramolecular glue’ to assemble the binuclear coordination complex and picratol into three-dimensional arrays.