Cobalt and copper pyridylmethylphosphonates with two- and three-dimensional structures and field-induced magnetic transitions.

Two novel metal pyridylmethylphosphonates, namely, [Co(4-pmp)] (1) and [Cu(4-pmp)(H2O)] (2), (4-pmpH2 = 4-pyridylmethylphosphonic acid), have been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. In compound 1, each {PO3C} tetrahedron is corner-shared with three {CoNO3} tetrahedra and vice versa, thus forming a one-dimensional (1-D) inorganic chain along the a axis containing 8-membered rings of [(Co-O-P-O)2]. The inorganic chains are further connected by a 4-pmp(2-) ligand, generating a 2-D layered structure. Compound 2 displays a three-dimensional (3-D) framework structure, in which the inorganic layers are pillared by the pyridyl groups of the ligand, generating a 3-D pillared-layered structure. The magnetic properties of 1 and 2 have been studied. Compounds 1 and 2 behave as metamagnets at low temperature. The critical fields are about 70 kOe for 1 and 47 kOe for 2 at 1.8 K.