Looking for the Silver Lining in Crystal Engineering. Alicia M. Beatty and Christer B. Aakeröy, Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

The utilization of molecular building blocks linked via hydrogen-bonding substituents is a burgeoning philosophy behind many crystal engineering strategies. Further, metal coordination compounds are being used to form metal " coordination polymers" at an ever-increasing rate. In an effort to add to the fray, we would like to combine aspects of both of these approaches. Because most hydrogen bond donors and acceptors (e.g. oxygen, nitrogen) also readily coordinate to transition metals, we can use ligands that contain hydrogen-bonding substituents to determine which interaction is preferred: are hydrogen-bonding interactions robust enough to resist the presence of a willing metal center? In an effort to begin answering that question, we are constructing silver(I) cationic coordination compounds that contain hydrogen-bonding substituents. Initially, we wish to maintain two-coordination (linear coordination) in these systems, essentially forming metal rods. Under what conditions will silver(I) remain two-coordinate? Which hydrogen-bonding interactions predominate? Does the identity of the associated anion have an effect on hydrogen bonding? Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies of these systems will help resolve these issues.