Luminescent Ag i-Cu i heterometallic hexa-, octa-, and hexadecanuclear alkynyl complexes

A series of Ag(I)-Cu(I) heteronuclear alkynyl complexes were prepared by reaction of polymeric (MCCC(6)H(4)R-4)(n)() (M = Cu(I) or Ag(I); R = H, CH(3), OCH(3), NO(2), COCH(3)) with M'(2)(mu-Ph(2)PXPPh(2))(2)(MeCN)(2)](ClO(4))(2) (M' = Ag(I) or Cu(I); X = NH or CH(2)). Heterohexanuclear complexes Ag(4)Cu(2)(mu-Ph(2)PNHPPh(2))(4)(CCC(6)H(4)R-4)(4)](ClO(4))(2) (R = H, 1; CH(3), 2) were afforded when X = NH, and heterooctanuclear complexes Ag(6)Cu(2)(micro-Ph(2)PCH(2)PPh(2))(3)(CCC(6)H(4)R-4)(6)(MeCN)](ClO(4))(2) (R = H, 3; CH(3), 4; OCH(3), 5; NO(2), 6) were isolated when X = CH(2). Self-assembly reaction between (MCCC(6)H(4)COCH(3)-4)(n) and M'(2)(mu-Ph(2)PCH(2)PPh(2))(2)(MeCN)(2)](ClO(4))(2), however, gave heterohexadecanuclear complex Ag(6)Cu(2)(micro-Ph(2)PCH(2)PPh(2))(3)(CCC(6)H(4)COCH(3)-4)(6)](2)(ClO(4))(4) (7). The heterohexanuclear complexes 1 and 2 show a bicapped cubic skeleton (Ag(4)Cu(2)C(4)) consisting of four Ag(I) and two Cu(I) atoms and four acetylide C donors. The heterooctanuclear complexes 3-6 exhibit a waterwheel-like structure that can be regarded as two Ag(3)Cu(CCC(6)H(5))(3) components put together by three bridging Ph(2)PCH(2)PPh(2) ligands. The heterohexadecanuclear complex 7 can be viewed as a dimer of heterooctanuclear complex Ag(6)Cu(2)(micro-Ph(2)PCH(2)PPh(2))(3)(CCC(6)H(4)COCH(3)-4)(6)](ClO(4))(2) through the silver and acetyl oxygen (Ag-O = 2.534 (4) A) linkage between two waterwheel-like Ag(6)Cu(2) units. All of the complexes show intense luminescence in the solid states and in fluid solutions. The microsecond scale of lifetimes in the solid state at 298 K reveals that the emission is phosphorescent in nature. The emissive state in compounds 1-5 is likely derived from a (3)LMCT (CCC(6)H(4)R-4 --> Ag(4)Cu(2) or Ag(6)Cu(2)) transition, mixed with a metal cluster-centered (d --> s) excited state. The lowest lying excited state in compounds 6 and 7 containing electron-deficient 4-nitrophenylacetylide and 4-acetylphenylacetylide, respectively, however, is likely dominated by an intraligand (3)pi --> pi] character.