Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.137, No.34, 10938-10941, 2015
Giant Rugby Ball [{(CpFe)-Fe-Bn(eta(5)-P-5)}(24)Cu96Br96] Derived from, Pentaphosphaferrocene and CuBr2
The self-assembly of [(CpFe)-Fe-Bn(eta(5)-P-5)] (cp(Bn) = eta(5)-C-5(CH2Ph)(5)) with CuBr2 leads to the formation of an unprecedented rugby ball-shaped supra-molecule consisting of 24 units of the pentaphosphaferrocene and an extended CuBr framework, which does not follow the fullerene topology. The resulting scaffold of 312 noncarbon atoms reveals three different coordination modes of the cyclo-P-5 ligand including a novel pi-coordination. The outer dimensions of 3.7 x 4.6 nm of the sphere approach the range of the size of proteins. With a value of 32.1 nm(3), it is 62 times larger in volume than a C-60 molecule. Surprisingly, this giant rugby ball is also slightly soluble in CH2Cl2.