Metal ion determined self-assembly using terpyridine building blocks

Abstract

Due to the dynamic reversibility of the coordination-driven force, the structures of metallocages are sensitive to many stimuli, including ligand geometry, temperature, concentration, anions, pH, light, and so on. Among these, the strength of the metal–ligand dative bonds is distinctly important; however, it has largely been ignored. In this contribution, a novel metal–organic ligand L was synthesized. On coordinating with transition metals possessing distinct binding abilities like Zn(II), Co(II), and Cd(II), diverse three-dimensional metal–organic supramolecular structures could be generated. To sum up, using metal ions with a strong ligand binding ability (Co, Zn) favors the development of larger structures [M₈L₄], whereas metal ions with a weak ligand binding ability (Cd) lead to smaller structures [M₆L₃].