A two-dimensional hydrogen-bonded water layer in the structure of a cobalt(III) cubane complex.

A tetranuclear Co(III) oxide complex with cubane topology, tetrakis(2,2'-bipyridine-κ(2)N,N')di-µ2-carbonato-κ(4)O:O'-tetra-µ3-oxido-tetracobalt(III) pentadecahydrate, [Co4(CO3)2O4(C10H8N2)4]·15H2O, with an unbounded hydrogen-bonded water layer, has been synthesized by reaction of CoCO3 and 2,2'-bipyridine. The solvent water molecules form a hydrogen-bonded net with tetrameric and pentameric water clusters as subunits. The Co4O4 cubane-like cores are sandwiched between the water layers, which are further stacked into a three-dimensional metallo-supramolecular network.