Luminescent high nuclearity Cu(I)-alkynyl clusters, [Cu16(hfac)8(3,3-dimethyl-1-butynyl)8] and [Cu20(hfac)8(3-phenyl-1-propynyl)12]

Abstract

Two novel high nuclearity copper(I) alkynyl complexes, [Cu16(hfac)8(CCBut)8] (1) and [Cu20(hfac)8(CCCH2Ph)12] (2), that consist of complicated alkynyl bridged Cu(I) cores ‘capped’ by peripheral hfac ligands have been synthesised and characterised by X-ray structure determination. The photoluminescent properties of 1 and 2 together with the clusters, [Cu18(hfac)10(CCBun)8] (4) and [Cu26(hfac)11(CCPrn)15] (5) and the monomeric species, [Cu(hfac)(HCCCH2OMe)] (3), [Cu(hfac)(Me3SiCCSiMe3)] (6) and [Cu(hfac)(COD)] (7) are reported. A comparison of the photoluminescent spectra of the high nuclearity species with the related monomeric complexes have shown that the cluster luminescence is derived from transitions within the delocalised Cu-hfac chelate ring.