A facile template approach to high-nuclearity silver(I) alkynyl clusters.

Peanut clusters: Anion templates are used in a facile approach for the synthesis of high-nuclearity silver clusters. The cluster nuclearity can be controlled by adjusting the size of the templating anions and by using different alkynyl ligands. The largest silver alkynyl cluster, which consists of 35 silver(I) centers in the shape of a peanut, has been prepared by using chromate anions as templates (see picture).

High-nuclearity silver clusters templated by carbonates generated from atmospheric carbon dioxide fixation.

Two high-nuclearity silver clusters have been prepared by reacting AgC(2)Bu(t) with AgBF(4) (or AgOTf) in the presence of TMEDA in air. The reaction takes up atmospheric CO(2) to give CO(3)(2-), which functions as a template for the formation of the cage compounds, whose nuclearities depend on the particular counteranions employed.

Snowman-like silver alkynyl cluster consolidated by templating chloride and peripheral trifluoroacetates.

A novel nonadecanuclear silver double cage was isolated, in which a square antiprism and a pentacapped pentagonal prism templated by a chloride ion share a tetragonal face to form a snowman-like cluster that is held together by bridging alkynyl groups and trifluoroacetates.