The first suberate lanthanum(III) complex without uncoordinated water

catena-Poly­[[aqua­lanthanum(III)]-μ-(8-carboxy­octanoato)-μ-octanedioato], [La(C₈H₁₂O₄)(C₈H₁₃O₄)(H₂O)]_n, is, to our knowledge, the first reported rare-earth complex containing a flexible long-chain ligand that crystallizes without water of crystallization. The layered polymeric structure is built from infinite chains of one-edge-sharing LaO₈(H₂O) polyhedra, connected through the carbon backbone chains of the ligands. The two chemically different ligands act in the same coordination modes, exhibiting chelating bonds and μ-1,1-bridging monodentate linkage, and adopting the same extended conformation. In the relatively limited hydrogen-bonding network, a very strong hydrogen bond between the deprotonated and protonated ligand ends stabilizes the framework.