[CuSn5Sb3]24- as a dual spherical-spherical aromatic heterometallic cluster bridged via an antiaromatic Cu2Sn2 motif

Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2025 Jan 15. doi: 10.1039/d4cp03591g. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

The formation of [CuSn5Sb3]24- serves as a template for heterometallic species to evaluate the resulting aromatic properties. Our results indicated that the spherical aromatic characteristics of the [CuSn5Sb3]2- building unit remained in the overall aggregate, featuring an induced shielding cone from different orientations of the external field. Furthermore, the isostructural and isoelectronic [Sn18]4- cluster sustained similar characteristics, which supported the notion of a direct relationship between [CuSn5Sb3]24- and [Sn18]4- cluster dimers. This indicated the suitable application of the pseudo-element concept relating similar connectivity between isoelectronic atoms, which could lead to further heterometallic clusters.