Stepwise structure evolution from 2D cluster-based frameworks to silver(i) clusters

Abstract

A pair of 2D chiral frameworks, R-Ag₅-1 and S-Ag₅-1, with orange fluorescence were successfully synthesized. They were transformed to a thermodynamically favored denser stacking, R-Ag₅-3 and S-Ag₅-3, accompanied by a change in the luminescence and activating the CPL signal. The capture and structural determination of the intermediates (R-Ag₅-2 and S-Ag₅-2) reveal that the coordination instability of Na⁺ ions is the main cause of this transition.