Rhodium(I) Complexes of Tridentate N‑Donor Ligands and Their Supramolecular Assembly Studies

New classes of tridentate N-donor rhodium­(I) complexes have been synthesized and demonstrated to exhibit interesting induced self-assembly behavior by variation of external stimuli, as a result of extensive Rh­(I)···Rh­(I) interactions, with the assistance of π–π stacking and hydrophobic–hydrophobic interactions. An isodesmic aggregation mechanism has also been identified in the temperature-dependent process. Upon aggregation in acetone solution, the complex molecules form wire-like nanostructures with their shape dependent on the π-conjugation of the tridentate ligands. On the other hand, crystalline needles of rhodium­(I) complexes obtained from recrystallization have also been shown to exhibit conductivity on the order of 10–3 S cm–1.