A novel photoluminescent silver(I) wire supported by 4-tert-butylbenzoate and ligand-unsupported Ag⋯Ag interactions

A novel silver(I) wire sustained by 4-tert-butylbenzoate and ligand-unsupported Ag⋯Ag interactions, [Ag3(tbb)3(NH3)2]n (1, Htbb = 4-tert-butylbenzoic acid), has been synthesized and structurally characterized. In 1, three tbb ligands bind three Ag(I) ions to form a trinuclear subunit through ligand-supported Ag⋯Ag interactions. The inversion-related subunits are further extended to an infinite 1D zigzag Ag(I) wire through the ligand-unsupported Ag⋯Ag interactions. Argentophilicity (3.0283(14)–3.0910(17) Å) plays an important role in determining the infinite silver(I) wire. The thermal stability and luminescent behavior of 1 were also discussed.