The compound [ZnCl 2 (4,4'-bipy)] n , has been synthesised via hydrothermal reaction and structurally characterised. It crystallises in the space group Cc of the monoclinic system: a = 15.883(5), b = 25.656(5), c = 14.642(6) Å, = 110.321(4)°, V = 5595(3) Å 3 , C 10 H 8 Cl 2 N 2 Zn, M r = 292.45 g mol -1 , D c = 1.736 g cm -3 , S = 1.003, μ(MoK ) = 2.636 mm -1 , F(000) = 2920, R = 0.0471 and wR = 0.0946. The complex has a one-dimensional zigzag chain-like structure. Photoluminescent investigation reveals that it displays a strong emission in the purple region and molecular orbital (MO) calculation indicates that the emission originates from the ligand-to-ligand charge-transfer (LLCT) transition.