A deliberate approach for the syntheses of heterometallic supramolecules containing dimolybdenum Mo species coordinated to other metal units

Two compounds with quadruply bonded Mo species having isonicotinate ligands bound through the carboxylate group have been designed to act as anglers by luring metal-containing Lewis acids to bind to the N-pyridyl group. The corner pieces are Mo(DAniF)(O CCHN) (1) and cis-Mo(DAniF) (OCCHN) (2), DAniF = N,N′-di(p-anisyl)formamidinate. The heterometallic molecular rods 1-Ni(acac)-1 (3) and 1-Rh(OCCH )-1 (4) were made by reaction of 1 with Ni(acac) and the metal-metal bonded species Rh(O CCH), respectively. In these compounds either a mononuclear or a dinuclear species are sandwiched between two molecules of 1. The cisoid compound 2 has been employed for the synthesis of a molecular rhombus, [2-Zn(Cl)] (5). The successful syntheses and isolation of 3-5 show that the use of corner pieces with angler groups is an excellent approach for making heterometallic supramolecular compounds having a combination of metal-metal bonded units and other metal species. © The Royal Society of Chemistry.