Packing requirements and short-range interactions as structure-directing forces in the intercluster compounds based on silver clusters

Although being composed of high valent ions, the crystal structures of four new supramolecular intercluster compounds, presented in this article, display a major contribution of short-range intermolecular interactions, i.e., aromatic π–π interactions. These structure-directing forces has lead to the formation of an distorted NaCl-type packing in [Ag5(2,2′-bipyridine)4(CCtBu)2][PW12O40] and [Ag5(2,2′-bipyridine)4(CCtBu)2][PMo12O40], and a CsCl-type packing in [Ag8(2,2′-bipyridine)6(CCtBu)4(C3H7NO)2][SiW12O40] and [Ag8(2,2′-bipyridine)6(CCtBu)4(C3H7NO)2][SiMo12O40].