Polynuclear Copper(I) Clusters Supported by Carboxylate Ligands with Coordinatively Active Ester Group

Two new copper(I) complexes with polynuclear cores bridged by 4-(ethoxycarbonyl)benzoate ligands, [Cu6(O2CC6H4CO2C2H5)4(O2CCF3)2] (1) and [Cu4(O2CC6H4CO2C2H5)4] (2), have been prepared by ligand exchange method in high yield and fully characterized by X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic techniques. The important role of intermolecular interactions between the polynuclear copper(I) clusters imposed through the coordinatively active dangling ester groups of bridging carboxylate ligands on the solid-state packing and photoluminescent behavior of 1 and 2 has been revealed.