A Polyoxochromate Templated 56-Nuclei Silver Nanocluster.

Most of polyoxometallates (POMs) templated silver nanoclusters recorded so far are polyoxomolybdates and polyoxotungstates; however, as congeneric polyoxochromates, they are rarely observed in silver nanoclusters. Herein, a high-nuclearity polyoxochromate, (CrIII4CrVI8O36)12-, is uncovered in a novel silver nanocluster (SD/Ag56a) as an anion template. The mixed-valent (CrIII4CrVI8O36)12- consists of four edge-sharing CrIIIO6 octahedra and eight CrVIO4 tetrahedra, which are fused together by sharing one or two vertexes. The (CrIII4CrVI8O36)12- is the by far highest nuclearity polyoxochromate and is trapped by outer Ag56 bracelet-like shell coprotected by quaternary ligands including iPrS-, NapCOO- (2-naphthalenecarboxylate), CF3COO-, and CH3CN. The antiferromagnetic property and solution behavior of SD/Ag56a are discussed in detail.

Chalcogens-Induced Ag6Z4@Ag36 (Z = S or Se) Core-Shell Nanoclusters: Enlarged Tetrahedral Core and Homochiral Crystallization.

Control over core structure is much more challenging than that over shell structure in core-shell silver nanoclusters. Herein, two isostructural chalcogen-mediated [Ag6Z4@Ag36] (Z = S or Se) nanoclusters (SD/Ag42a and SD/Ag42b) caging tetrahedral [Ag6Z4] as cores were synthesized by introducing Ph3CSH or Ph3PSe as slow-release source of S2- or Se2-, respectively, and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD). As compared to the previously reported [AgS4@Ag36] cluster (Ag37), we found that introducing additional S2- or Se2- ions can effectively enlarge the inner core from tetrahedral AgS4 to Ag6Z4, which is a regular octahedron of silver with four Z2- capping on one tetrahedral set of four faces. More interestingly, the molecular enantiomers of SD/Ag42a and SD/Ag42b segregate into different crystals (P212121), while those of Ag37 form racemic crystals (I41/acd). The larger Ag6Z4 core in Ag42 clusters also extends their emission to the near-infrared region (∼760 nm). The study confirms that chalcogenide can enlarge the nuclearity of nanoclusters by altering the inner core structure and affords a new strategy to synthesize chiral core-shell silver nanoclusters of higher-order in controlled fashion.

Self-Organization into Preferred Sites by MgII, MnII, and MnIII in Brucite-Structured M19 Cluster.

The search for functional materials, for example those aiming at microelectronics, magnetic recording, and catalysis, often ventures into mixed metal systems to achieve optimization of the properties. Thus, understanding site preference and self-organization is crucial but hard to implement. Herein, we present a system whereby MgII, MnII, and MnIII ions selectively locate exact positions within the Brucite-structured cluster, Mn13Mg6, [MnIII⊂MgII6⊂MnII9MnIII3( L)18(OH)12(N3)6](ClO4)6·12CH3CN, H L = 1-(hydroxymethyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazolate). The MnIII being small (78 pm) takes up the core position; while 6 MgII (86 pm) are located in the inner ring, and the 9 large MnII (97 pm) and 3 MnIII occupy the outer ring. The factors (a) ionic radii, (b) regularity in coordination geometry, oxophilicity, and softness of MgII compared to MnII, and (c) Jahn-Teller distortion of MnIII may all be implicated synergistically. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry reveals the M19 disc remains an integral unit when crystals are dissolved, and exchange between Mg and Mn occurs within the disc during its formation. Diamagnetic MgII doping insulates the magnetic exchange between the central MnIII and those in the outer ring, thus giving an overall antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between nearest-neighbors of the outer ring. The work reveals the underlying rule for site-preference of main group metal versus transition metal in disc-like Brucite-structured cluster and provides an elegant new avenue to assemble heterometallic clusters in a stepwise fashion.

Core Modulation of 70-Nuclei Core-Shell Silver Nanoclusters.

The reaction of {(HNEt3 )2 [Ag10 (tBuC6 H4 S)12 ]}n , Ag2 O, Na2 MoO4 , and m-methoxybenzoic acid (Hmbc) in CH3 OH/CH2 Cl2 led to yellow crystals of [Ag4 S4 (MoO4 )5 @Ag66 ] (SD/Ag70b; SD=SunDi) only, while in the presence of DMF, additional dark-red crystals of [Ag10 @ (MoO4 )7 @Ag60 ] (SD/Ag70a) were obtained. SD/Ag70b consists of five MoO4 2- ions wrapped by a shell of 66 Ag atoms, while SD/Ag70a contains a rare Ag10 kernel consisting of five tetrahedra sharing faces and edges, surrounded by seven MoO4 2- ions enclosed in a shell of 60 Ag atoms. The formation of the Ag10 kernel originates from a reduction reaction during the self-assembly process that involves DMF. This work provides the structural information of a unique Ag10 kernel (five fused Ag4 tetrahedra) and paves an avenue to trap elusive silver species with hierarchical multi-shell silver nanocluster assemblies with the help of anion templates.

Anisotropic Assembly of Ag52 and Ag76 Nanoclusters.

Although there has been an upsurge of interest in anisotropic assembly of inorganic nanoparticles, atomically precise self-assembly of anisotropic metal clusters is extremely rare. Herein, we presented two novel silver nanoclusters, Ag52 (SD/Ag23) and Ag76 (SD/Ag24), which are interiorly templated by five MoO42- and a pair of Mo6O228- anions, respectively, and coprotected by bridging RSH and terminal diphosphine ligands exteriorly. Regiospecific distribution diphosphine ligands on the surface and the arrangement of multiple molybdate templates within the nanoclusters synergetically tailor their shapes to anisotropic oblate spheroid and elongated rod, respectively. This work not only open up new avenues for the synthesis of silver nanoclusters with novel metal skeleton shapes and anisotropic surface structures but also give important insights for the anisotropic growth of silver nanoclusters through surface modifications or/and template organizations.

Johnson Solids: Anion-Templated Silver Thiolate Clusters Capped by Sulfonate.

Sulfonates were incorporated into six novel high-nuclearity silver(I) thiolate clusters under the guidance of anion templates varied from S2- , SO42- , α-[Mo5 O18 ]6- , ß-[Mo5 O18 ]6- , [Mo2 O8 ]4- , to [Mo4 O14 (SO4 )]6- . Single crystal X-ray analysis revealed that SD/Ag1, SD/Ag3, SD/Ag5, and SD/Ag6 are discrete [S@Ag60 ], [α-Mo5 O18 @Ag36 ], [Mo2 O8 @Ag30 ]2 , and [Mo4 O14 (SO4 )@Ag73 ] clusters, respectively, whereas SD/Ag2 and SD/Ag4 are one-dimensional (1D) chains based on the [SO4 @Ag20 ] and [ß-Mo5 O18 @Ag36 ] cluster subunits, respectively. Their silver skeletons are protected exteriorly by thiolates and sulfonates and interiorly supported by diverse anions as templates. Structurally, cluster SD/Ag1 is a typical core-shell structure comprised of an inner Ag12 cuboctahedron and an outer Ag48 shell. The sulfate-templated drum-like Ag20 cluster subunits are bridged by PhSO3- to give a 1D chain of SD/Ag2. Complex SD/Ag3 and SD/Ag4 are spindle-like Ag36 clusters with isomeric [Mo5 O18 ]6- inside, and the latter is further extended to a 1D chain through PhSO3- bridges. A pair of [Mo2 O8 ]4- templated gourd-like Ag30 clusters are dimerized in a head-to-head fashion to form SD/Ag5. Complex SD/Ag6 is the largest cluster in this family and doubly templated by unprecedented [Mo4 O14 (SO4 )]6- anions. Geometrically, the silver shells of SD/Ag1-SD/Ag5 show the polyhedral features of Johnson solids, instead of the usual Platonic or Archimedean solids. Solution behaviors and luminescent properties were also investigated in detail.

Three Silver Nests Capped by Thiolate/Phenylphosphonate.

Introducing phenylphosphonic acid (H2 PPA) into the Ag/tBuSH assembly system has produced a family of nanoscale-sized, high-atom number, silver thiolate/PPA nests (SD/Ag45 a, SD/Ag66 a, and SD/Ag73 a) with impressive core-shell features. SD/Ag45 a is a 45-atom ellipsoid comprised of an Ag36 shell trapping an Ag9 S2 three-bladed rotor inside. SD/Ag66 a comprises an inner rod-like Ag20 core and an outer Ag44 shell, giving a 64-atom nest. These Ag64 nests are further extended by Ag(CN)2 linkers to form a one-dimensional chain structure. SD/Ag73 a is a three-shell 73-nucleus silver nest with a central silver atom enclosed in a rhombicuboctahedron of 24 silver atoms, which is itself enclosed in the outermost shell of a rectified version of a 48-Ag octahedral Goldberg 2,0 cage. The solution behaviors and optical absorption properties of the three nests are described in detail. Of note, SD/Ag45 a and SD/Ag73 a emit in the near-infrared region and show different luminescent thermochromic behavior. This work demonstrates that the participation of H2 PPA strongly influences the structures of silver thiolate nests, thus providing a new route to fabricate and modify them in a more rational way.

Benzoate-Induced High-Nuclearity Silver Thiolate Clusters.

Compared with the well-known anion-templated effects in shaping silver thiolate clusters, the influence from the organic ligands in the outer shell is still poorly understood. Herein, three new benzoate-functionalized high-nuclearity silver(I) thiolate clusters are isolated and characterized for the first time in the presence of diverse anion templates such as S2- , α-[Mo5 O18 ]6- , and MoO42- . Single-crystal X-ray analysis reveals that the nuclearities of the three silver clusters (SD/Ag28, SD/Ag29, SD/Ag30) vary from 32 to 38 to 78 with co-capped tBuS- and benzoate ligands on the surface. SD/Ag28 is a turtle-like cluster comprising a Ag29 shell caging a Ag3 S3 trigon in the center, whereas SD/Ag29 is a prolate Ag38 sphere templated by the α-[Mo5 O18 ]6- anion. Upon changing from benzoate to methoxyl-substituted benzoate, SD/Ag30 is isolated as a very complicated core-shell spherical cluster composed of a Ag57 shell and a vase-like Ag21 S13 core. Four MoO42- anions are arranged in a supertetrahedron and located in the interstice between the core and shell. Introduction of the bulky benzoate changes elaborately the nuclearity and arrangements of silver polygons on the shell of silver clusters, which is exemplified by comparing SD/Ag28 and a known similar silver thiolate cluster. The three new clusters emit luminescence in the near-infrared (NIR) region and show different thermochromic luminescence properties. This work presents a flexible approach to synthetic studies of high-nuclearity silver clusters decorated by different benzoates, and structural modulations are also achieved.

Elimination-Fusion Self-Assembly of a Nanometer-Scale 72-Nucleus Silver Cluster Caging a Pair of [EuW10 O36 ]9- Polyoxometalates.

The largest known polyoxometalate (POM)-templated silver-alkynyl cluster, [(EuW10 O36 )2 @Ag72 (tBuC≡C)48 Cl2 ⋅4 BF4 ] (SD/Ag20), was isolated under solvothermal conditions and structurally characterized. It was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) as a {EuW10 }2 -in-{Ag72 } clusters-in-cluster rod-like compound. The high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) shows that such a double anion-templated cluster is assembled from a crucial single anion-templated Ag42 intermediate in the solution. The crystallization of Ag42 species (SD/Ag21), followed by SCXRD, gave an important clue about the assembly route of SD/Ag20 in solution: the Ag42 cluster eliminates six silver atoms laterally, then fuses together at the vacant face to form the final Ag72 cluster (elimination-fusion mechanism). The characteristic emission of [EuW10 O36 ]9- is well maintained in SD/Ag20. This work not only provides a new method for the synthesis of larger silver clusters as well as the functional integration of the silver cluster and POMs, but also gives deep insights about the high-nuclear silver cluster assembly mechanism.

Solvent-Controlled Phase Transition of a CoII -Organic Framework: From Achiral to Chiral and Two to Three Dimensions.

An unprecedented reversible dynamic transformation is reported in a metal-organic framework involving bond formation, which is accompanied by two important structural changes; achiral to chiral and two- to three-dimensions. Using two bent organic ligands (diimpym=4,6-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)pyrimidine; H2 npta=5-nitroisophthalic acid) and CoII (NO3 )2 ⋅6 H2 O the coordination polymer Co(diimpym)(npta)⋅CH3 OH, (1⋅CH3 OH), was obtained solvothermally. Its structure consists of knitted pairs of square layers (44 -sql net) of five-coordinated Co and disordered methanol, and it crystallized in the achiral Pbca space group at room temperature. It undergoes a single crystal to single crystal (SC-SC) transformation to a 3D interpenetrated framework (α-polonium-type net, pcu) of six-coordinated Co and ordered methanol in the chiral P21 21 21 space group below 220 K. Most unusual is the dynamic temperature-dependent shortening of a Co⋅⋅⋅O connection from a non-bonded 2.640 Š(298 K) to a bonded 2.347 Šdistance (100 K) transforming the square pyramidal cobalt polyhedron to a distorted octahedron. The desolvated crystals (1) obtained at 480 K retain the full crystallinity and crystallize in the achiral Pbca space group between 100 and 298 K but the dynamic shortening of the Co⋅⋅⋅O distance connecting the layers into the 3D pcu framework structure is observed. Following post-synthetic insertion of ethanol (1⋅CH3 CH2 OH) it does not exhibit the transformation and retains the knitted 2D achiral Pbca structure for all temperatures (100-298 K) and the ethanol is always disordered. The structural analyses thus conclude that the ordering of the methanol induces the chirality while the available space controls the dynamic motion of the knitted 2D networks into the 3D interpenetrated framework. Consequently, 1 selectively adsorbs CO2 to N2 and exhibits Type-III isotherms indicating dynamic motion of the 2D networks to accommodate the CO2 at 273 and 298 K in contrast to the rigidity of the 3D framework at 77 K preventing N2 from penetrating the solid. The magnetic properties are also reported.

General Assembly of Twisted Trigonal-Prismatic Nonanuclear Silver(I) Clusters.

A general class of C3 -symmetric Ag9 clusters, [Ag9 S(tBuC6 H4 S)6 (dpph)3 (CF3 SO3 )] (1), [Ag9 (tBuC6 H4 S)6 (dpph)3 (CF3 SO3 )2 ]⋅CF3 SO3 (2), [Ag9 (tBuC6 H4 S)6 (dpph)3 (NO3 )2 ] ⋅NO3 (3), and [Ag9 (tBuC6 H4 S)7 (dpph)3 (Mo2 O7 )0.5 ]2 ⋅2 CF3 COO (4) (dpph=1,6-bis(diphenylphosphino)hexane), with a twisted trigonal-prism geometry was isolated by the reaction of polymeric {(HNEt3 )2 [Ag10 (tBuC6 H4 S)12 ]}n , 1,6-bis(diphenylphosphino)hexane, and various silver salts under solvothermal conditions. The structures consist of discrete clusters constructed from a girdling Ag9 twisted trigonal prism with the top and bottom trigonal faces capped by diverse anions (i.e., S(2-) and CF3 SO3 (-) for compound 1, 2×CF3 SO3 (-) for compound 2, 2×NO3 (-) for compound 3, and tBuC6 H4 S(-) and Mo2 O7 (2-) for compound 4). This trigonal prism is bisected by another shrunken Ag3 trigon at its waist position. Interestingly, two inversion-related Ag9 trigonal-prismatic clusters are dimerized by the Mo2 O7 (2-) ion in compound 4. The twist is amplified by the bulkier thiolate, which also introduces high steric-hindrance for the capping ligand, that is, the longer dpph ligand. Four more silver-sulfur clusters (namely, compounds 5-8) with their nuclearity ranging from 6-10 were solely characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction to verify the above-described synergetic effect of mixed ligands in the construction of Ag9 twisted trigonal prisms. Surprisingly, only cluster 1 emits yellow luminescence at λ=584 nm at room temperature, which may be attributed to a charge transfer from the S 3p orbital to the Ag 5s orbital, or mixed with metal-centered (MC) d(10) →d(9) s(1) transitions. Upon cooling from 300 to 80 K, the emission intensity was enhanced along with a hypsochromic shift. The good linear relationship between the maximum emission intensity and the temperature for compound 1 in the range of 180-300 K indicates that this is a promising molecular luminescent thermometer. Furthermore, cyclic voltammetric studies indicated that the diffusion- and surface-controlled redox processes were determined for compounds 1 and 3 as well as compound 4, respectively.

Single-Crystal to Single-Crystal Phase Transition and Segmented Thermochromic Luminescence in a Dynamic 3D Interpenetrated Ag(I) Coordination Network.

A new 3D Ag(I)-based coordination network, [Ag2(pz)(bdc)·H2O]n (1; pz = pyrazine and H2bdc = benzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid), was constructed by one-pot assembly and structurally established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction at different temperatures. Upon cooling from 298 to 93 K, 1 undergo an interesting single-crystal to single-crystal phase transition from orthorhombic Ibca (Z = 16) to Pccn (Z = 32) at around 148 K. Both phases show a rare 2-fold-interpenetrated 4-connected lvt network but incorporate different [Ag2(COO)2] dimeric secondary building units. It is worth mentioning that complex 1 shows red- and blue-shifted luminescences in the 290-170 and 140-80 K temperature ranges, respectively. The variable-temperature single-crystal X-ray crystallographic studies suggest that the argentophilic interactions and rigidity of the structure dominated the luminescence chromism trends at the respective temperature ranges. Upon being mechanically ground, 1 exhibits a slight mechanoluminescence red shift from 589 to 604 nm at 298 K.

Four Hybrid Materials Based on Preyssler P5W30 Polyoxometalate and First-Row Transition-Metal Complex.

Four Preyssler P5W30 based inorganic-organic hybrids, formulated as {[Cu12(pbtz)2(Hpbtz)2(OH)4(H2O)16][Na(H2O)P5W30O110]}·16H2O (1; H2pbtz = 5'-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H,2'H-3,3'-bi(1,2,4-triazole)), {[Cu10(ttbz)2(Httbz)4(OH)6(H2O)8][K(H2O)H2P5W30O110]}·30H2O (2; Httbz = 1-(tetrazo-5-yl)-4-(triazo-1-yl)benzene), {[Ni6(bpz)6(H2O)16][Na(H2O)H2P5W30O110]}·36H2O (3; bpz = 3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-4,4-bipyrazole), {[Co4(bpz)6(H2O)9][K(H2O)H6P5W30O110]}·46H2O (4), have been isolated and structurally identified via microanalysis, thermogravimetry (TG), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. Compound 1 exhibits a 3D binodal (3,6)-connected ant framework composed of dodeca-supported P5W30 polyoxometalate (POM) clusters and discrete [Cu6(pbtz)(Hpbtz)(OH)2(H2O)8] subunits. Compound 2 is a pillared-layer 3D network constructed from [Cu5(ttbz)(Httbz)2(OH)3(H2O)4] sheets pillared by individual P5W30 clusters. Compound 3 contains octa-supporting P5W30 POM clusters and novel [Ni6(bpz)6] crown-like metallamacrocycles, which construct a (4,4)-connected pts network. Compound 4 displays a complicated 3D (5,5)-connected {4(5)·6(4)·8}{4(5)·6(5)} network built by pentasupporting P5W30 POM clusters and discrete [Co4(bpz)6(H2O)9] subunits. In 1-4, the unified features are the Preyssler-type [P5W30O110] POM as the fundamental building block, which supports the transition-metal compounds with different modes to give the resultant diverse networks. The magnetism studies indicated antiferromagnetically coupled systems for the hexa- and pentanuclear Cu(II) units in 1 and 2, respectively. The electrochemical properties demonstrate that all compounds have electrocatalytic abilities toward the reduction of hydrogen peroxide. Furthermore, the catalytic activities of 1 in the cyanosilylation of aldehydes reaction have been investigated.

Anion-induced supramolecular isomerism in two Preyssler P5W30 polyoxometalate-based hybrid materials.

Two extended Preyssler P5W30 polyoxometalate-based inorganic-organic hybrid materials exhibiting anion-induced supramolecular isomerism were reported. Because of the cis-trans isomerism in the octahedral CoN2O4 coordination geometry, the Preyssler P5W30 polyoxometalates are extended by double O-Co-O bridges in 1α and a single O-Co-O bridge in 1ß to form the isomeric 2D 4-connected 4(4)-sql and 3D 8-connected bcu networks, respectively. Both compounds show electrocatalytic abilities on the reduction of H2O2.

6-[3-(2,4-Dimethyl-anilino)-2-hydroxy-prop-oxy]-1,8-dihydr-oxy-3-methyl-9,10-dihydro-anthracene-9,10-dione.

In the title compound, C(26)H(25)NO(6), the anthraquinone ring system forms a dihedral angle of 15.5 (1)° with the benzene ring of the dimethyl-aniline group. Intra-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonding is observed between the carbonyl and two hydroxyl groups. The mol-ecules are linked into a ribbon-like structure along the [100] direction by O-H⋯N and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The crystal used was twinned via a 180° rotation about [100]. The ratio of the two twin components is 0.947 (1):0.053 (1).

Unusual fcc-structured Ag10 kernels trapped in Ag70 nanoclusters.

Controlled trapping atom-precise ultrasmall silver nanoparticles into silver nanoclusters is challenging; thus only limited progress has been made in this area. We are therefore inspired to isolate two novel silver nanoclusters, Ag10@Ag70 (SD/Ag80a and SD/Ag80b; SD = SunDi), where a novel fcc-structured Ag10 kernel built from two single-edge opened Ag6 octahedra by sharing one edge is trapped. The bioctahedral Ag10 kernel is locked by a pair of Mo7O26 10- anions to form an inner Ag10@(Mo7O26)2 core which is further encapsulated by an outer Ag70 shell to form three-shell Ag10@(Mo7O26)2@Ag70 nanoclusters. Notably, the bioctahedral Ag10 kernel has not been observed in silver nanoclusters ever before, thus representing a new embryo state of silver nanoparticles. SD/Ag80a emits in the near infrared (NIR) region (λ em = 730 nm) at low temperature. This work will deepen our understanding on the atomic-level growth of silver nanoparticles and complicated three-shell self-assembly involving polyoxometalate (POM) and two different silver nanoclusters.

[Au18(dppm)6Cl4]4+: a phosphine-protected gold nanocluster with rich charge states.

A diphosphine-protected 18-gold-atom nanocluster was isolated via a facile reduction of an AuI precursor by NaBH4. Its composition was identified as {[Au18(dppm)6Cl4]·C6H6·3Cl·PF6} (SD/Au18, SD = SunDi; dppm = bis-(diphenylphosphino)methane) by X-ray single crystal structural analysis. This nanocluster possesses a prolate shape and is built from an Au10 kernel (bi-octahedral Au6 units sharing one edge) fused with two Au7 caps via sharing six gold atoms. The identity of the Au18 cluster is further demonstrated by ESI-MS. The number of valence electrons of [Au18(dppm)6Cl4]4+ is 10 (n* = 18-4-4), which does not match with the known magic numbers according to the spherical jellium model, and elongated models must be considered. The special stability of the Au18 cluster likely arises from geometrical factors in the metallic core. Two charge states are reported for this system. This work not only presents the structure elucidation of a diphosphine-protected Au18 nanocluster, but also provides an important insight into the growth pattern of gold nanoclusters and the charge states they can achieve.

Enclosing classical polyoxometallates in silver nanoclusters.

Due to the elusive nature of polyoxometallates (POMs) in the assembly of silver clusters, POMs trapped by silver clusters are usually different from the pristine form, which surely increases the novelty of the assembly results but makes the final structure predictability challenging. Herein, three novel high-nuclearity silver-thiolate clusters trapping two kinds of classical POMs, Lindqvist-Mo6O192- and V10O286-, are reported. They are identified to be [(V10O28)@Ag44] (SD/Ag44a), [(V10O28)@Ag46] (SD/Ag46), and [(Mo6O19)@Ag44] (SD/Ag44b) clusters, which are further extended to 1D chain, 2D sql layer, and 3D pcu framework, respectively. Of note, SD/Ag44b contains a regular cubic Mo6O19 core sealed by an Ag44(EtS)24 shell in a pseudo-sodalite unit and six SCl4 planar squares connecting the respective adjacent silver tetragonal faces. This structure is a novel zeolite closely related to the natural alumino-silicate 'sodalite' but exceptionally made of core-shell silver clusters. Moreover, the Oh symmetric Mo6O192- templates an Oh symmetric Ag44 cluster in SD/Ag44b, realizing authentic symmetry delivery from guest to host in this system. This is a rare silver cluster family with classical POMs encapsulated.

Carboxylic acid stimulated silver shell isomerism in a triple core-shell Ag84 nanocluster.

Isomerization is highly important in all aspects of science, yet it is rarely observed in nanoscience. Here, we synthesized a unique triple core-shell Ag84 nanocluster displaying isomerism, which is controlled by different carboxylic acids and a one-way transformation (SD/Ag84a → SD/Ag84b). The innermost core is a rare Ag10 nanocluster which comprises an Ag6 octahedral unit as seen in face-centred cubic (fcc) silver metal and four capped Ag atoms. It templates two crescent-shaped polyoxometalate (W7O26)10- shells which are then enclosed in a shell of silver shaped as rugby balls. The organic ligands (iPrS-, n PrCOO- and PhCOO-) finally shield the metallic clusters. Due to slight differences in structure at two poles and the steric hindrance of n PrCOO- and PhCOO-, SD/Ag84a and SD/Ag84b adopt the shapes of flat-headed and cuspidal prolate spheres, respectively. Interestingly, PhCOOH is dominant over n PrCOOH whereby crystals of SD/Ag84b were isolated if PhCOOH is added during the synthesis of SD/Ag84a. This demonstrates that PhCOOH not only alters the organic coats but also induces metal shell re-organization. This work reveals carboxylate-controlled skeletal isomerism in silver nanoclusters for the first time, thus deepening the understanding of silver nanocluster assembly, flexibility and reactivity.

A hexadecanuclear silver alkynyl cluster based NbO framework with triple emissions from the visible to near-infrared II region.

Compared to emissive silver-thiolate clusters, their alkynyl cousins are, however, usually luminescence silent. Herein we report a novel silver-alkynyl cluster based NbO-type framework (SD/Ag18) showing unprecedented triple emission spanning from the visible to near-infrared (NIR) region. It is a 3D framework constructed from a [Cl@Ag16] cluster based unit, which is further quadruply bridged by the surrounding four Ag atoms through AgAg interactions, giving a 4-connected NbO topology. Although SD/Ag18 exhibits weak orange-red emission at room temperature, its emission becomes strong upon cooling, with three emission maxima at 524, 647 and 1036 nm, respectively, covering both the visible and NIR regions. The visible emissions involve triplet alkynyl-to-metal charge transfer mixed with a cluster-centered state, whereas the participation of cPrC[triple bond, length as m-dash]C- in the frontier orbitals of the cluster may be responsible for the NIR emission. The unusual emissions, especially in the NIR-II region, are observed, for the first time, in silver complexes.