Selective fluorescent sensing and photocatalytic properties of Zinc(II) and Cadmium(II) coordination architectures with naphthalene-1,5-disulfonate and 2,4,5-tri(4-pyridyl)-imidazole

Two coordination compounds, namely [M(L)(Htpim)(2)](n) (M = Zn for 1, M= Cd for 2, H2L = 1,5-naphthalene-disulfonic acid, and Htpim = 2,4,5-tri(4-pyridyl)-imidazole), were synthesized and structurally characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectra and X-ray diffraction analyses. X-ray single crystal diffraction indicates that compounds 1 and 2 were almost isostructural and possess 2D 4(4) frameworks. They displayed highly sensitivity in the detection of nitrobenzene (NB) as fluorescent sensors. Moreover, 1 exhibited relatively good photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) in aqueous solution under UV irradiation.