Silver complexes stabilized by large silanethiolate ligands - crystal structures and luminescence properties

Area of Science:

• Inorganic Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Coordination Chemistry

Background:

• Silver thiolate complexes are of interest due to their diverse structures and potential applications.
• Understanding the influence of ligand bulk and charge on cluster formation is crucial for designing novel materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel mononuclear and trinuclear silver thiolate and disiladithiolate complexes.
• To investigate the impact of bulky ligands and varying synthetic strategies on the structural diversity of silver clusters.
• To explore the relationship between charge, ligand environment, and the resulting structural properties of cyclic silver complexes.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of silver complexes using bulky silanethiolate and disiladithiolate ligands.
• Structural characterization via X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy.
• Further characterization using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and emission spectroscopies where applicable.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized one mononuclear and three trinuclear silver complexes, including two cyclic and one linear cluster.
• The first structurally characterized trinuclear anionic silver thiolate complex was obtained.
• Demonstrated the influence of ligand environment and complex charge on the structural properties of cyclic silver complexes.

Conclusions:

• The choice of synthetic route significantly impacts the formation of cyclic versus linear silver clusters.
• Bulky silanethiolate and disiladithiolate ligands enable the formation of diverse silver thiolate structures.
• This study provides valuable insights into the rational design and synthesis of silver thiolate clusters.