Two- and three-dimensional silver(I)-organic networks generated from mono- and dicarboxylphenylethynes

Three phenylethynes bearing methyl carboxylate (HL1), monocarboxylate (H(2)L2), and dicarboxylate (H(2)L3) groups were utilized as ligands to synthesize a new class of organometallic silver(I)-ethynide complexes as bifunctional building units to assemble silver(I)-organic networks. X-ray crystallographic studies revealed that in Ag(2)(L1)(2)·AgNO(3)](∞) (1) (L1= 4-C(2)C(6)H(4)CO(2)CH(3)), one ethynide group interacts with three silver ions to form a complex unit. These units aggregate by sharing silver ions with the other three units to afford a silver column, which are further linked through argentophilic interaction to generate a two-demensional (2D) silver(I) network. In Ag(2)(L2)·3AgNO(3)·H(2)O](∞) (2) (L2 = 4-CO(2)C(6)H(4)C(2)), the ethynide group coordinates to four silver ions to form a building unit (Ag(4)C(2)C(6)H(4)CO(2)), which interacts through silver(I)-carboxylate coordination bonds to generate a wave-like 2D network and is subsequently connected by nitrate anions as bridging ligands to afford a three-demensional (3D) network. In Ag(3)(L3)·AgNO(3)](∞) (3) (L3 = 3,5-(CO(2))(2)C(6)H(3)C(2)), the building unit (Ag(4)C(2)C(6)H(3)(CO(2))(2)) aggregates to form a dimer Ag(8)(L3)(2)] through argentophilic interaction. The dimeric units interact through silver(I)-carboxylate coordination bonds to directly generate a 3D network. The obtained results showed that as a building unit, silver(I)-ethynide complexes bearing carboxylate groups exhibit diverse binding modes, and an increase in the number of carboxylate groups in the silver(I)-ethynide complex unit leads to higher level architectures. In the solid state, all of the complexes (1, 2, and 3) are photoluminescent at room temperature.