An infinite water chain passes through an array of Zn(II) metallocycles built with a podand bearing terminal carboxylates.

A podand bearing three carboxylic acid groups was synthesized by condensation of tris(2-chloroethyl)amine with 4-hydroxyethylbenzoate followed by hydrolysis of the ester group. An aqueous solution of Zn(NO3)2 x 6H2O reacts with the tetraethylammonium salt of the podand at room temperature, to form a porous coordination polymeric structure with infinite interlinked chains of Zn(II) metallocycles. An infinite water chain passes through the metallocycles like a thread. The compound was characterized by X-ray crystallography, X-ray powder diffraction, TGA, IR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis.