Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2026
09:35
Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by Copper(I)-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units
Published on: September 18, 2016
Helices, chirality and interpenetration: the versatility and remarkable interconversion of silver-copper cyanide
Ann M Chippindale1, Simon J Hibble
1School of Chemistry, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire RG6 6AD, United Kingdom. a.m.chippindale@rdg.ac.uk
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|August 18, 2009
Summary
New cesium silver-copper cyanides with 3-D frameworks were synthesized. These materials undergo unique solid-state transformations, revealing complex structural dynamics and interpenetrating networks in silver-copper cyanide compounds.
Area of Science:
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Solid-State Chemistry
- Crystallography
Background:
- Cesium silver-copper cyanides are known for their diverse structural motifs.
- Understanding their transformations is key to designing novel materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe structural transformations of cesium silver-copper cyanides.
- To synthesize and characterize new 3-D framework cyanides.
Main Methods:
- Hydrothermal synthesis of single crystals.
- Single-crystal X-ray diffraction.
- Solid-state transformations via dehydration and heating.
Main Results:
- Three new cesium silver(I) copper(I) cyanides with 3-D frameworks were synthesized: Cs(3)Ag(2)Cu(3)(CN)(8) (I), CsAgCu(CN)(3) (II), and CsAgCu(CN)(3).1/3H(2)O (III).
- Compound (I) transforms into (II) and (III) in solution.
- Hydrate (III) dehydrates to (II) at 100°C; known CsAg(2)Cu(CN)(4) polymorphs interconvert at 180°C.
- Helical copper-cyanide chains and self-/interpenetrating networks were observed.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals novel structural transformations in cesium silver-copper cyanides under modest conditions.
- These transformations highlight the dynamic nature of metal-cyanide frameworks.
- The findings contribute to the understanding of structure-property relationships in coordination polymers.
Related Concept Videos
02:25Chirality
Chirality is a term that describes the lack of mirror symmetry in an object. In other words, chiral objects cannot be superposed on their mirror images. For example, our feet are chiral, as the mirror image of the left foot, the right foot, cannot be superposed on the left foot.
Chiral objects exhibit a sense of handedness when they interact with another chiral object. For example, our left foot can only fit in the left shoe and not in the right shoe. Achiral objects — objects that have...
Chiral objects exhibit a sense of handedness when they interact with another chiral object. For example, our left foot can only fit in the left shoe and not in the right shoe. Achiral objects — objects that have...
02:33Stereoisomerism of Cyclic Compounds
In this lesson, we delve into the role of ring conformation and its stability, which determines the spatial arrangement and, consequently, the molecular symmetry and stereoisomerism of cyclic compounds. 1,2-Dimethylcyclohexane is used as a case study to evaluate the possible number of stereoisomers. Here, given the multiple (n = 2) chiral centers, there are 2n = 4 possible configurations that lack a plane of symmetry, as the ring skeleton exists in a non-planar chair conformation. In addition,...
02:05Prochirality
The concept of prochirality leads to the nomenclature of the individual faces of a molecule and plays a crucial role in the enantioselective reaction. It is a concept where two or more achiral molecules react to produce chiral products. A typical process is the reaction of an achiral ketone to generate a chiral alcohol. Here, the achiral reactant reacts with an achiral reducing agent, sodium borohydride, to generate an equimolar mixture of the chiral enantiomers of the product. For example, an...
02:30Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur
Chirality is most prevalent in carbon-based tetrahedral compounds, but this important facet of molecular symmetry extends to sp3-hybridized nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur centers, including trivalent molecules with lone pairs. Here, the lone pair behaves as a functional group in addition to the other three substituents to form an analogous tetrahedral center that can be chiral.
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...
02:30Chirality in Nature
Chirality is the most intriguing yet essential facet of nature, governing life’s biochemical processes and precision. It can be observed from a snail shell pattern in a macroscopic world to an amino acid, the minutest building block of life. Most of the snails around the world have right-coiled shells because of the intrinsic chirality in their genes. All the amino acids present in the human body exist in an enantiomerically pure state, except for glycine - the sole achiral amino acid. The...
02:52Stereoisomerism
Isomerism in Complexes
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula.
Transition metal complexes often exist as geometric isomers, in which the same atoms are connected through the same types of bonds but with differences in their orientation in space. Coordination complexes with two different ligands in the cis and trans positions from a ligand of interest form isomers. For example, the octahedral [Co(NH3)4Cl2]+ ion has two isomers (Figure 1) In the cis...
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula.
Transition metal complexes often exist as geometric isomers, in which the same atoms are connected through the same types of bonds but with differences in their orientation in space. Coordination complexes with two different ligands in the cis and trans positions from a ligand of interest form isomers. For example, the octahedral [Co(NH3)4Cl2]+ ion has two isomers (Figure 1) In the cis...