Different Metallophilic Attitudes Revealed by Compression

Two isostructural coordination polymers with coinage metal(I) cations were compressed with the purpose of testing interactions between chains, which may trigger metallophilic interactions or otherwise expand the metal coordination. DFT calculations and X-ray diffraction studies reveal an extraordinary difference between Ag(I) and Cu(I) in homologous compounds. Argentophilic interactions are favored by a mild compression, and at P = 7.94 GPa, the Ag-Ag distance matches the value of metallic silver. On the other hand, no cuprophilic interaction is activated even by compression up to 8 GPa, and Cu-Cu distances remain outside the van der Waals spheres.