Structure-Directing Role of Phosphonate in the Synthesis of High-Nuclearity Silver(I) Sulfide-Ethynide-Thiolate Clusters

Phosphonate ligands as structure-directing components have been employed to construct four new high-nuclearity silver­(I) sulfide-ethynide-thiolate clusters, in which silver­(I) aggregates t BuCC⊃Ag3, t BuCC⊃Ag4, and 2 t BuCC⊃Ag7 are bridged by t BuS– ligands to engender respective silver­(I) ethynide-thiolate clusters functioning as integral shell components, which are supported by phosphonate ligands. In each silver­(I) sulfide-ethynide-thiolate cluster, a different encapsulated silver sulfide cluster serves as a core template.