Soft Metal Cations Trigger Sandwich?Cluster Luminescence of a New Au(I)?Vinylimidazolate Cyclic Trinuclear Complex

The formation of heterobimetallic complexes from parent cyclic trinuclear (CTCs) gold(I) has become straightforward in recent years with this team and others showing that the strategy leads to strengthened Au?M’ bonding optoelectronic properties. A new gold(I)-vinylimidazolate CTC, 1, was prepared highly emissive sandwich adducts soft metal cations Cu+, Ag+, Tl+, 2–4, respectively, investigated. Compound 1 does not exhibit peculiar properties at room or cryogenic temperatures as do. Its unit cell packing displays an unprecedented collection repeating units for CTCs. While intermolecular Au…Au distances are versatile (3.470, 3.673, 4.045 Å), they connect only single Au centres adjacent CTCs form extended circular networks. Hirshfeld surface analyses mapped CTC contours underlining possible cooperative effects metallophilic interactions but also C?H…? hydrogen (as opposed dominance former most other reported CTCs). DFT calculations validate sandwich-like structures compounds 2–4 averaged Au?M 2.665 Å, 2.802 3.036 close by experimental crystal data obtained similar compounds.