Metal-directed self-assembly of terphenyl based dithiocarbamate ligands

Abstract

The synthesis of dithiocarbamate ligands based on an m-terphenyl scaffold is reported. These ligands self-assemble with zinc(II), nickel(II) and copper(II) ions to afford neutral, dinuclear metallomacrocycles in varied yields. The assemblies have been characterised by a range of techniques, including ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy, elemental analysis, mass spectrometry and cyclic voltammetry. Intramolecular coordination of bipyridyl guests has been investigated with the zinc(II) containing macrocycles. NMR spectroscopy and FAB mass spectrometry demonstrate the formation of 1 ∶ 1 inclusion complexes with 4,4′-bipyridyl.