One-pot synthesis of molecular dumbbell, [AgL(μ-bpy)AgL]2+ (L = S2O2-macrocycle; bpy = 4,4′-bipyridine)

One-pot reaction of S2O2-macrocyclic ligand L with AgClO4 together with 4,4′-bipyridine (bpy) afforded a unique dumbbell-shaped complex 1, [(AgL)2(μ-bpy)](ClO4)2. The macrocyclic dinuclear silver(I) complex 1 was structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography and MALDI-TOF-MS spectrometry. The crystal structure of 1 shows the silver(I) in a distorted square pyramidal environment formed by two sulfur and two oxygen donors from L and one nitrogen donor from bpy. Comparative NMR studies suggest the existence of the complex 1 in solution.