Preparation and structures of copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes with 5-ferrocenylpyrimidine: Structural variation derived from flexible coordination ability of the ligand and metal ions

5-Ferrocenylpyrimidine (FcPM) reacts with dinuclear copper(II) carboxylates ([Cu2(RCOO)4]; R = C6H5, C5H11, CH3) to produce one-dimensional coordination polymers [Cu2(C6H5COO)4(FcPM)]n (1), [Cu2(C5H11COO)4(FcPM)]n · nCH3CN (2), and a discrete tetranuclear complex [Cu2(CH3COO)4(FcPM)2] (3). Compounds 1 and 2 show similar zigzag chain structures, comprising alternate linking of FcPM and dinuclear copper(II) units, whereas the structure of 3 corresponds to the local structural motifs of 1 and 2. Reaction of FcPM with zinc salts (ZnX2; X = NO3, SCN) affords zinc-centered ferrocenyl cluster complexes, [Zn(NO3)2(FcPM)3] (4) and [Zn(SCN)2(FcPM)2] · 0.5H2O (5), with varying M:L ratios. FcPM acts as a bidentate ligand in 1 and 2, and as a monodentate ligand in the others.