A self-catenated network containing unprecedented 0D + 2D → 2D polycatenation array.

Herein, we report a new acylamide ligand and its application in the construction of a metal-organic framework. The resultant acylamide metal-organic framework, namely [Zn(2)(L)(OH)(btc)](n) (1, L = N(1),N(4)-bis(pyridin-3-ylmethyl) naphthalene-1,4-dicarboxamide, H(3)btc = benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid), was obtained by hydrothermal synthesis. The outstanding structural feature of it is the 0D + 2D → 2D polycatenation array containing a self-catenated feature which has never previously been observed. To the best of our knowledge, the coexistence of self-catenation and polycatenation phenomena is highly exceptional.