A polymeric zinc thiosulfate complex containing anionic and cationic chains based on tetrahedral and octahedral zinc sites.

catena-Poly[[[tetraaquazinc(II)]-mu-4,4'-bipyridine-kappa(2)N:N'] [[mu-thiosulfato-kappa(2)O:S-bis[(thiosulfato-kappaS)zinc(II)]]-di-mu-4,4'-pyridine-kappa(4)N:N'] dihydrate], {[Zn(C(10)H(8)N(2))(H(2)O)(4)][Zn(2)(S(2)O(3))(3)(C(10)H(8)N(2))(2)].2H(2)O}(n), is a polymeric zinc complex built up from thiosulfate-containing anionic chains, where the Zn atom is tetrahedrally coordinated, and aqua-containing cationic chains incorporating octahedrally coordinated Zn. In each type of chain, the 4,4'-bipyridine units act as spacers, and the chains run along three non-intersecting almost orthogonal directions in space. The profusion of hydrogen-bond donors (all the H atoms of the water molecules) and acceptors (the thiosulfate O and S atoms) generates a very complex hydrogen-bonding scheme.