Solid channel structure and nanoscale drum-like Ag6 cluster constructed with pentafluorobenzenethiolate and triphenylphosphine ligands: The use of water-soluble silver(I) carboxylate as silver(I) source

A nanoscale drum-like hexanuclear silver(I) cluster [Ag(pfbt)(PPh3)]6 1 (Hpfbt = pentafluorobenzenethiol), which showed the arrays of channels based on its self-assembly in the solid, was obtained by the 1:1 molar-ratio reaction of the insoluble polymeric precursor ∞[Ag(pfbt)] 2 and PPh3 in chloroform. Synthetic yield and purity of 1 were strongly dependent on the purity of 2. Compound 2 with higher purity was prepared in good yield using light-stable and water-soluble silver(I) carboxylate [Ag(Hpyrrld)]2 (H2pyrrld = 2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid) as the silver(I) source.