A series of manganese(II) coordination polymers containing the bridging ligand pyrimidine-4,6-dicarboxylate (pmdc) have been prepared. The stoichiometries and structural features of these materials, which range from the one-dimensional (1D) chains in {[Mn(mu-pmdc)(H2O)(3)]center dot 2H(2)O), (1) and {[Mn-2(mu-pmdc)(2)(H2O)(5) ]center dot 2H(2)O}(n) (2) to the two-dimensional layers in {[Mn(mu(3)-pmdc)(H2O)]center dot H2O}(n) (3) or the three-dimensional porous network in {[Mn(pmdc)]center dot 2H(2)O}(n) (4), are extremely dependent on the synthetic conditions (i.e., temperature and solvent). In spite of the structural diversity of these systems, crystallographic studies revealed that the pmdc ligand typically displays a tetradentate mu-(kappa O,kappa N:kappa O '',kappa N ') coordination mode with the carboxylate groups almost coplanar with the pyrimidine ring [as in compounds 1 and 2 and compound 5 described below)]. In compound 3, the pmdc moiety adopts a pentadentate mu(3)-(kappa O,kappa N:kappa O '',kappa N ':kappa O) coordination mode. The thermal, magnetic, and adsorption properties of these systems were also studied. The results showed that these compounds behave as antiferromagnets as a consequence of efficient magnetic exchange through the pmdc bridges. Compound 4 possesses permanent porosity, as proved by gas sorption data (N-2 at 77 K and CO2 at 293 K). Finally, the heteronuclear iron(II)/manganese(II) compound {[FeMn(mu-pmdc)(2)(H2O)(5)]center dot 2H(2)O}(n) (5), which is isomorphous to 2, was also prepared and fully characterized.