Designed Synthesis of Metal Cluster-Centered Pseudo-Rotaxane Supramolecular Architectures

The designed synthesis and structural characterization of two metal cluster-centered metallosupramolecular architectures are reported. In complex [(CF3SO3)Ag4(tBuCC)(Py8)](CF3SO3)2 (1) and [(CF3SO3)Ag4{CC–(m-C6H4)–CC–(m-C6H4)–CC–(m-C6H4)–CC}Ag4(CF3SO3)(Py8)2](CF3SO3)4 (2), organic acetylide ligands are utilized to induce the formation of polynuclear silver aggregates, which are encapsulated into the central cavity of the neutral macrocyclic compound azacalix[8]pyridine (Py8). The tetrasilver cluster centered [2]- and [3]-pseudo-rotaxane structures are obtained and fully characterized by X-ray crystallography, ESI mass spectrometry, and 1H NMR spectroscopy.