Selective formation of a polar incomplete coordination cage induced by remote ligand substituents

Abstract

Instead of highly symmetrical T-symmetry cages common in self-assembly, the p-NMe₂-substituted triphosphine CH₃C{CH₂P(4-C₆H₄NMe₂)₃ gives open, polar C₃ symmetry cages [Ag₆(triphos)₄X₃]³⁺ which lack one of the expected face-capping anions; despite its subtlety this difference occurs selectively in solution and two examples have been crystallographically characterised.