Integration of acetylenic carbon clusters and silver clusters: template synthesis and stability enhancement

Three silver cluster complexes were synthesized with carbon network ligands as inner templates, including [(C≡C)2C=C(C≡C)2](4-), [C6(C≡C)6](6-) and [C6H(C≡C)5](5-). The resulting clusters 1-3 have been characterized by X-ray crystallography and other techniques. This study showcases a promising methodology to acquire intricate all-carbon units and provides a platform to investigate their chemistry.