Sulfide-Induced Dimerization Versus Demetallation of Tricopper(I) Clusters Protected by Tris-Thiolato Metalloligands.

Here, we report the reactivity of copper(I) clusters toward sulfide ions; these sulfide copper(I) clusters have attracted much attention due to their relevance to biologically active centers and their fascinating structural and photophysical properties. Treatment of the CuI 3RhIII 2 pentanuclear complex, [Cu3{Rh(aet)3}2]3+ (aet=2-aminoethanethiolate), in which a {CuI 3}3+ cluster moiety is bound by two fac-[Rh(aet)3] metalloligands, with NaSH in water produced the CuI 6RhIII 4 decanuclear complex, [Cu6S{Rh(aet)3}4]4+, accompanied by the dimerization of [Cu3{Rh(aet)3}2]3+ and the incorporation of a sulfide ion at the center. While similar treatment using the analogous CuI 3IrIII 2 complex with fac-[Ir(aet)3] metalloligands, [Cu3{Ir(aet)3}2]3+, produced the isostructural CuI 6IrIII 4 decanuclear complex, [Cu6S{Ir(aet)3}4]4+, the use of the CuI 3RhIII 2 complex with fac-[Rh(apt)3] metalloligands, [Cu3{Rh(apt)3}2]3+ (apt=3-aminopropanethiolate), resulted in the removal of one of the three CuI atoms from {CuI 3}3+ to afford the CuI 2RhIII 2 tetranuclear complex, [Cu2{Rh(apt)3}2]2+.

Investigating the Conformations of a Family of [M2L3]4+ Helicates Using Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction.

We present five new dinuclear triple helicate compounds of types [Mn2L3](ClO4)4, [Co2L3](BF4)4, [Ni2L3](BF4)4, [Cu2L3](BF4)4, and [Zn2L3](BF4)4, where L is a previously reported semi-rigid ligand incorporating two α-diimine primary donor groups and two secondary 4-pyridyl donor groups. All complexes have been characterized in both solution and the solid state. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies were used to probe the variation in the respective helical structures as the coordinated metal ion was altered, including the effect on the orientations of the secondary binding domains. The influence of the metal ion size, the spin state in the case of Fe(II), and the presence of Jahn-Teller distortions on the overall helical structure has been investigated. These results form a basis for the design and construction of new large metallosupramolecular architectures which manifest properties associated with the constituent helical metalloligand units.

Coinage Metal Bis(amidinate) Complexes as Building Blocks for Self-Assembled One-Dimensional Coordination Polymers.

The pyridyl functionalized amidinate [{PyC≡CC(NDipp)2 }Li(thf)2 ]n was used to synthesize a series of bis-amidinate complexes [{PyC≡CC(NDipp)2 }2 M2 ] (M=Cu, Ag, Au) with fully supported metallophilic interactions. These metalloligands were then used as building blocks for the synthesis of one-dimensional heterobimetallic coordination polymers using Zn(hfac)2 (hfac=hexaflouroacetylacetonate) for self-assembly. Interestingly, the three coordination polymers [{PyC≡CC(NDipp)2 }2 M2 ][Zn(hfac)2 ] (M=Cu, Ag, Au), exhibit a zig zag shape in the solid state. To achieve linear coordination geometry other connectors such as M'(acac) (M'=Ni, Co) (acac=acetylacetonate) were investigated. The thus obtained compounds [{PyC≡CC(NDipp)2 }2 Cu2 ][M'(acac)2 ] (M'=Ni, Co) are indeed linear heterobimetallic coordination polymers featuring a metalloligand backbone with fully supported metallophilic interactions.

Spin Crossover Induced by Changing the Identity of the Secondary Metal Ion from PdII to NiII in a Face-Centered FeII 8 MII 6 Cubic Cage.

Discrete spin crossover (SCO) heteronuclear cages are a rare class of materials which have potential use in next-generation molecular transport and catalysis. Previous investigations of cubic cage [Fe8 Pd6 L8 ]28+ constructed using semi-rigid metalloligands, found that FeII centers of the cage did not undergo spin transition. In this work, substitution of the secondary metal center at the face of the cage resulted in SCO behavior, evidenced by magnetic susceptibility, Mössbauer spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Structural comparisons of these two cages shed light on the possible interplay of inter- and intramolecular interactions associated with SCO in the NiII analogue, 1 ([Fe8 Ni6 L8 (CH3 CN)12 ]28+ ). The distorted octahedral coordination environment, as well as the occupation of the CH3 CN in the NiII axial positions of 1, prevented close packing of cages observed in the PdII analogue. This led to offset, distant packing arrangements whereby important areas within the cage underwent dramatic structural changes with the exhibition of SCO.

Stepwise Assembly of Ag42 Nanocalices Based on a MoVI-Anchored Thiacalix[4]arene Metalloligand.

Metalloligand strategy has been well recognized in the syntheses of heterometallic coordination polymers; however, such a strategy used in the assembly of silver nanoclusters is not broadly available. Herein, we report the stepwise syntheses of a family of halogen-templated Ag42 nanoclusters (Ag42c-Ag42f) based on MoVI-anchored p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene (H4TC4A) as a metalloligand (hereafter named MoO3-TC4A). X-ray crystallography demonstrates that they are similar C3-symmetric silver-organic nanocalices capped by six MoO3-TC4A metalloligands, which are evenly distributed up and down the base of 42 silver atoms. These nanoclusters can be disassembled to six bowl-shaped [Ag11(MoO3-TC4A)(RS)3] secondary building units (SBUs, R = Et or nPr), which are fused together in a face-sharing fashion surrounding Cl- or Br- as a central anion template. The electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) indicates their high stabilities in solution and verifies the formation of the MoO3-TC4A metalloligand, thereby rationalizing the overall stepwise assembly process for them. Moreover, Ag42c shows lower cytotoxicity and better activity against the HepG-2 cell line than MCF-7 and BGC-823. These results not only exemplify the effectiveness of a thiacalix[4]arene-based metalloligand in the assembly of silver nanoclusters but also give us profound insight about the step-by-step assembly process in silver nanoclusters.

Solvent-Controlled Condensation of [Mo2 O5 (PTC4A)2 ]6- Metalloligand in Stepwise Assembly of Hexagonal and Rectangular Ag18 Nanoclusters.

Stepwise assembly starting from a preassembled metalloligand is a promising approach to obtain otherwise unattainable silver nanoclusters, but hard to be intrinsically identified due to the lack of convincing evidence to justify such a process. Herein, hexagonal and rectangular Ag18 nanoclusters are constructed from the [Mo2 O5 (PTC4A)2 ]6- (H4 PTC4A=p-phenyl-thiacalix[4]arene) metalloligand through stepwise assembly. The formation of the metalloligand is confirmed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, then assembled with silver ions to form two geometrically different Ag18 nanoclusters in different solvents. The cyclization from the metalloligand to [(Mo2 O5 PTC4A)6 ]12- can be realized without alcohols and otherwise blocked by them. The installation of this metalloligand not only provides comprehensive understanding of how the solvents regulate the silver nanocluster structures, but also brings new insights for the controllable ligand metallization and subsequent condensation.

Binding of a TlCl Entity by a Tetragold Tetramercaptothiacalixarene Metalloligand via Metallophilic Interactions.

The successive auration of p-tert-butyltetramercaptotetrathiacalix[4]arene, H4 (MTC[4]), with gold(I) phosphine units was investigated. Through deprotonation with NaOMe, followed by salt metathesis reactions with (PR3 )AuCl (R=Me, Ph) complexes with two and three [(PR3 )Au]+ moieties could be prepared and isolated, namely [(Ph3 PAu)2 H2 (MTC[4])] and [(Me3 PAu)3 H(MTC[4])]. In [(Me3 PAu)3 H(MTC[4])] two gold atoms already come close enough to undergo aurophilic interactions. To introduce a fourth [(PR3 )Au]+ entity TlOEt had to be used for the deprotonation, which led to the finding that four gold atoms organised by the (MTC[4])4- coordination platform are able to bind and stabilize a TlCl entity, yielding [(Me3 PAu)4 TlCl(MTC[4])]. As evidenced by structural and theoretical investigations the binding occurs through strong metallophilic interactions, which lead to photoluminescence at low temperatures.

H2 and carbon-heteroatom bond activation mediated by polarized heterobimetallic complexes.

The field of heterobimetallic chemistry has rapidly expanded over the last decade. In addition to their interesting structural features, heterobimetallic structures have been found to facilitate a range of stoichiometric bond activations and catalytic processes. The accompanying review summarizes advances in this area since January of 2010. The review encompasses well-characterized heterobimetallic complexes, with a particular focus on mechanistic details surrounding their reactivity applications.

0D to 3D PrIII metal-organic networks crystal engineered for optimal iodine adsorption.

Four new praseodymium(III) metal-organic compounds varying in dimensionality from 0D to 3D have been designed and synthesized based on N-heterocyclic polycarboxylic acids, including pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (H2pydc) and pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid (H2pzdc). Altering the concentration of piperazine (pip, ancillary ligand) enables control over the dimensionality of the compound by switching between the 0D [H2pip][Hpip][Pr(pydc)3]·4H2O (I) and the 1D {[Pr(pydc)(Hpydc)(H2O)2]·4H2O}n (II) coordination polymer (CP). Upon replacing H2pydc with H2pzdc, CP II is converted to the 2D CP [Pr(pzdc)(Hpzdc)(H2O)3]n (III) and using the metalloligand [Zn(Hpzdc)2(H2O)2]2-, the 3D heterometallic CP {[Pr2Zn(pzdc)4(H2O)6]·2H2O}n (IV) is formed. Compound IV shows high stability in the absence of uncoordinated solvent molecules and is stable up to 400°C, even in the presence of humidity. Therefore, IV was utilized for iodine adsorption in the vapour phase and in the presence of humidity. The results confirm the remarkable potential of IV for reversible adsorption of iodine vapour.

Synthesis and Characterization of Tantalum-Based Early-Late Heterobimetallic Complexes Supported by 2-(diphenylphosphino)pyrrolide Ligands.

The synthesis of the metalloligand Ta(κ2-NP)3Cl2 (NP = 2-diphenylphosphinopyrrolide) and its coordination chemistry with group 9 and 10 metals is reported. Treatment of Ta(κ2-NP)3Cl2 with group 9 and 10 metals resulted in clean formation of the heterobimetallic complexes Cl2Ta(µ2-NP)3M (M = Ni (2), Pd (3)) or Cl2Ta(µ2-NP)3MCl (M = Rh (4), Ir (5)). Each pair of complexes is isostructural and contains three phosphinopyrrolide ligands that bridge the metal centers. The d10 or d8 complexes are all diamagnetic and X-ray crystallographic analysis reveals similarly short metal-metal distances, ranging from 2.2979(5) Å to 2.4366(2) Å. Despite the similar bonding metrics in 2-5, treatment with an L type donor (2,6-dimethylphenylisocyanide (CNXylyl)) reveals 3 different coordination geometries in TaNi(CNXylyl) (6), TaPd(CNXylyl) (7), and TaIr(CNXylyl) (8). While complexes 6, 7, and 8 all bind the isocyanide at the late metal, ligand rearrangements are observed in the first row complex 6. Complex 7 binds the isocyanide in the axial position while equatorial binding is observed in 8. All isocyanide adducts maintain close metal-metal contacts in the solid state.

A molybdenum tris-(di-thiol-ene) complex coordinates to three bound cobalt centers in three different ways.

The synthesis and structural characterization of the mol-ecular compound (µ3-benzene-1,2-di-thiol-ato)hexa-carbonyl-bis-(µ3-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluorobut-2-ene-2,3-dithiolato)tricobaltmolybdenum, [Co3Mo(C4F6S2)2(C6H4S2)(CO)6] or Mo(tfd)2(bdt)(Co(CO)2)3 (tfd is 1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluorobut-2-ene-2,3-dithiolate and bdt is benzene-1,2-di-thiol-ate), are reported. The structure of the mol-ecule contains the molybdenum tris-(di-thiol-ene) complex Mo(tfd)2(bdt) coordinated as a multidentate ligand to three cobalt dicarbonyl units. Each of the three cobalt centers is relatively close to molybdenum, with Co⋯Mo distances of 2.7224 (7), 2.8058 (7), and 2.6320 (6) Å. Additionally, each of the cobalt centers is bound via main-group donor atoms, but each one in a different way: the first cobalt atom is coordinated by two sulfur atoms from different di-thiol-enes (bdt and tfd). The second cobalt atom is coordinated by one sulfur from one tfd and two olefinic carbons from another tfd. The third cobalt is coordinated by one sulfur from bdt and two sulfurs from tfd. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first structurally characterized example of a molybdenum (tris-)di-thiol-ene complex that coordinates to cobalt. The F atoms of two of the -CF3 groups were refined as disordered over two sets of sites with ratios of refined occupancies of 0.703 (7):0.297 (7) and 0.72 (2):0.28 (2).

Coordination-driven self-assembly of discrete Ru6-Pt6 prismatic cages.

The coordination-driven self-assembly of two new Ru6-Pt6 hexanuclear trigonal prismatic cages comprising arene-ruthenium(II) clips (1a(NO3)2 and 1b(NO3)2 ) and a tritopic platinum(II) metalloligand 2 has been performed in methanol at room temperature. The [3 + 2] hexanuclear cages 3a and 3b were isolated in good yields and characterized by well-known spectroscopic techniques including multinuclear NMR, mass spectrometry, UV-vis and infrared studies. Geometry optimization revealed the shapes and sizes of these hexanuclear prismatic cages. The combination of ruthenium and platinum metal center in a one-pot self-assembly reaction showcases the construction of aesthetically elegant heterometallic structures in supramolecular chemistry leading to the formation of a single major product.

IrIII -based Octahedral Metalloligands Derived Primitive Cubic Frameworks for Enhanced CO2 /N2 Separation.

We developed a metalloligand strategy to construct porous frameworks, viz. the combined use of IrIII -based octahedral metalloligands and the linear unit [Ni(cyclam)] easily afforded two isostructural complexes 1 and 2 with primitive cubic frameworks. Both complexes show good CO2 /N2 separation property.

A Coordination Network with Ligand-Centered Redox Activity Based on facial-[CrIII (2-mercaptophenolato)3 ]3- Metalloligands.

The design of redox-active metal-organic frameworks and coordination networks (CNs), which exhibit metal- and/or ligand-centered redox activity, has recently received increased attention. In this study, the redox-active metalloligand (RML) [Me4 N]3 fac-[CrIII (mp)3 ] (1) (mp=2-mercaptophenolato) was synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and its reversible ligand-centered one-electron oxidation was examined by cyclic voltammetry and spectroelectrochemical measurements. Since complex 1 contains O/S coordination sites in three directions, complexation with K+ ions led to the formation of the two-dimensional honeycomb sheet-structured [K3 fac-{CrIII (mp)3 }(H2 O)6 ]n (2⋅6 H2 O), which is the first example of a redox-active CN constructed from a RML with o-disubstituted benzene ligands. Herein, we unambiguously demonstrate the ligand-centered redox activity of the RML within the CN 2⋅6 H2 O in the solid state.

Metal Complexes of a Redox-Active [1]Phosphaferrocenophane: Structures, Electrochemistry and Redox-Induced Catalysis.

The synthesis and characterisation of several metal complexes of a redox-active, mesityl(Mes)-substituted [1]phosphaferrocenophane, FcPMes (1), are reported. Cyclic voltammetry studies on the bimetallic complexes [M(κ1 P-1)(cod)Cl] (M=Rh: 2; M=Ir: 4), [Rh(κ1 P-1)2 (CO)Cl] (3) and [AuCl(κ1 P-1)] (5), in conjunction with DFT calculations, provided indications for a good electronic communication between the metal atoms. To confirm that the ferrocenophane unit might be able to electrochemically influence the reactivity of the coordinated transition metal, the rhodium complex 2 was employed as stimuli-responsive catalyst in the hydrosilylation of terminal alkynes. All reactions were greatly accelerated with in situ generated 2+ as a catalyst as compared to 2. Even more importantly, a markedly different selectivity was observed. Both factors were attributed to different mechanisms operating for 2 and 2+ (alternative Chalk-Harrod and Chalk-Harrod mechanism, respectively). DFT calculations revealed relatively large differences for the activation barriers for 2 and 2+ in the reductive elimination step of the classical Chalk-Harrod mechanism. Thus, the key to the understanding is a cooperative "oxidatively induced reductive elimination" step, which facilitates both a higher activity and a markedly different selectivity.

Controlled Orthogonal Self-Assembly of Heterometal-Decorated Coordination Cages.

Multiple orthogonal coordinative interactions were utilized to construct heterometal-decorated tetrahedral cages from in situ formed trinuclear ZrIV clusters through the combination with other metal ions such as CuII or PdII . Through effective use of the hard/soft acid/base principle, the orthogonal self-assembly process of Zr-bpydc-CuCl2 (H2 bpydc=2,2-bipyridine-5,5-dicarboxylic acid) can be finely controlled using three strategies: post-synthetic metallization, a stepwise metalloligand approach, or a one-pot reaction.

Crystal structures of the water and acetone monosolvates of bis-[4'-(pyridin-4-yl)-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine]-manganese(II) bis-(hexa-fluorido-phosphate).

The crystal structures of bis-[4'-(pyridin-4-yl)-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine]-man-gan-ese(II) bis-(hexa-fluorido-phosphate) monohydrate, [Mn(C20H14N4)2](PF6)2·H2O, (1), and bis-[4'-(pyridin-4-yl)-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine]-manganese(II) bis(hexa-fluorido-phosphate) acetone monosolvate, (2), [Mn(C20H14N4)2](PF6)2·CH3COCH3, are described. At 150 K, (1) and (2) have monoclinic (P21/c) and ortho-rhom-bic (C2221) symmetries, respectively. Both structures exhibit octahedrally coordinated Mn(II) atoms and disorder. They display weak inter-actions, such as C-H⋯F, C-H⋯N, C-H⋯π, F⋯π and π-π. The twofold rotation axis in the molecule of (2) is coincident with a twofold rotation axis of the crystal.