A new inorganic-organic hybrid zinc phosphite, [Zn(HPO3)(C6H11NO2)]n, has been synthesized hydrothermally. Protonated piperidin-1-ium-4-carboxylate (PDCA) was generated in situ by hydrolysis of the piperidine-4-carboxamide precursor. The P atom possesses a typical PO3H pseudo-pyramidal geometry. The crystal structure features an unusual (3,4)-connected two-dimensional inorganic zinc-phosphite layer, with organic PDCA ligands appended to the sheets and protruding into the interlayer region. Helical chains of opposite chirality are involved in the construction of a puckered sheet structure.
Keywords: crystal structure; helical chain; inorganic–organic hybrid; piperidin-1-ium-4-carboxylate; zinc phosphite.