Synthesis, Structure, and Luminescent Behavior of Anionic Oligomeric and Polymeric Ag2Au2 Clusters

Mixtures of silver salts AgX (X = NO3, CF3CO2, CF3SO3) with M­[Au­(C6F5)2] (M = NBu4, PPh4) gave respectively the ionic mixed-metal clusters [M2{(C6F5)4Au2Ag2X2}]n (1, X = NO3; a, M = NBu4; b, M = PPh4) and [M­{(C6F5)4Au2Ag2X}]n, (2a,b, X = CF3CO2; 3a,b, X = CF3SO3). The degree of aggregation n of these cluster compounds depends strongly on the method of isolation (solvent evaporation or precipitation); for example, recrystallization of 1a gave a crystalline salt of the tetraanion [(C6F5)4Au2Ag2X2]24– as well as the polymer [(NBu4)2{(C6F5)4Au2Ag2(NO3)2}]n. The aurophilic Au···Au interactions strongly influence the photoemission wavelength. The anion X has remarkably little effect on the luminescence color but strongly influences the conformation of the polyanionic chains, leading to a variety of solid-state structures, from well-defined dimers (1a1) to linear (1b) and curved (1a2, 2a) polymeric chain aggregates.