A “directed” approach toward a cationic molecular square containing four isonicotinamidate ligands and (4 + 2) (en)Pt metal entities

The use of 4-cyanopyridine (4-CNpy) and 3-cyanopyridine (3-CNpy) as ditopic ligands with 180° and 120° directionalities, respectively, for the construction of molecular architectures with the 90° metal fragments (en)Pt^II and (en)Pd^II in water is hampered by the ease with which these ligands undergo hydrolysis to isonicotinamide (4-C(O)NH₂py) and nicotinamide (3-C(O)NH₂py). As described in this article, out of six X-ray structurally characterized complexes (1-6), only a single one (1) reveal coordination of the unchanged ligand (4-CNpy) to (en)Pt^II. Nevertheless also the hydrolysis products are of interest in the context of obtaining discrete metallacyclic compounds: Thus, (en)Pt^II and 4-C(O)NH₂py form a hexanuclear complex, PF₆⊂{(en)Pt}₆(4-C(O)NHpy)₄](NO₃)₇·10H₂O (2), in which the anionic isonicotinamidate ligands function as tridentate, bridging ligands to produce a hybrid between a metallasquare and a 2-floor open box. The resulting cation with a +8 charge accommodates a single hexafluorophosphate anion in its interior. Adjacent cations of 2 pack in such a way as to develop Pt₄ chains as typically seen in “platinum blues” and their Pt^II]₄ precursors.