Construction and anion exchange of silver(I) complexes bearing 1,2,3-tris(isonicotinoyloxy)benzene

A new potentially tridentate ligand 1,2,3-tris(isonicotinoyloxy)benzene (L) was prepared, and its coordination chemistry with various silver(I) salts AgX (X⁻ = BF₄ ⁻, ClO₄ ⁻, PF₆ ⁻, and CF₃SO₃ ⁻) was investigated in order to elucidate the effects of counteranion size. Self-assembly of silver(I) salts with L afforded four complexes with 1:1 stoichiometries. The molecular structures with small counteranions (BF₄ ⁻, ClO₄ ⁻, and PF₆ ⁻) showed 2-D networks whereas those with large counteranions (CF₃SO₃ ⁻) showed a 1-D network. These silver(I) compounds were fully characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental and thermal analyses, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The role of the present counteranions in determining the structural motifs is discussed in these pages.