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Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Synthesis of a Water-soluble Metal–Organic Complex Array
Published on: October 8, 2016
Imposing control on self-assembly: rational design and synthesis of a mixed-metal, mixed-ligand coordination cage
Alexander J Metherell1, Michael D Ward1
1Department of Chemistry , University of Sheffield , Sheffield S3 7HF , UK .
Abstract:
Retrosynthetic analysis of a [M16L24]32+ coordination cage shows how it can be assembled rationally, in a stepwise manner, using a combination of kinetically inert and kinetically labile components. Combination of the components of fac-[Ru(Lph)3](PF6)2, Cd(BF4)2 and Lnaph in the necessary 4 : 12 : 12 stoichiometry afforded crystals of [Ru4Cd12(Lph)12(Lnaph)12]X32 (X = a mono-anion) in which the location of the two types of metal ion [Ru(ii) or Cd(ii)] at specific vertices in the metal-ion array, and the two types of bridging ligand (Lph and Lnaph) along specific edges, is completely controlled by the synthetic strategy. The incorporation of four different types of component at pre-determined positions in a coordination cage superstructure represents a substantial advance in imposing control on the self-assembly of complex metallosupramolecular entities.
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