The Coordination and Supramolecular Chemistry of Gold Metalloligands

This review article deals with the use of gold metalloligands as building blocks for the assembly of heterometallic complexes. Several families of gold complexes decorated with crown-ether, amide, pyridine, bipyridine, terpyridine, carboxylato, amino acid or π-alkyne binding sites have been reported. Adducts of these metalloligands with alkaline or transition-metal cations, or with transition-metal or lanthanide complexes, have been isolated and structurally characterized. The reported heterometallic species range from simple dinuclear complexes to self-assembled supramolecules, coordination polymers, or solids. New structural motifs have been found in these complexes. Most of these metalloligands and complexes are photoluminescent and some of them show switchable emissions based on the formation and rupture of metallophilic contacts. Potential applications as sensors, sensitizers, in vivo imaging agents, and anticancer drugs are envisaged.