Serendipitous assembly of polynuclear cage compounds

The idea of synthesising polynuclear cage compounds without strictly designing the final product is an extremely productive means of producing new polymetallic cages. Some of the considerations behind this approach—termed “serendipitous assembly”—are briefly reviewed, and one project is discussed in some detail to illustrate how such a programme develops. The complexes discussed involve nickel and cobalt cages, ranging as large as cages containing twenty-four metal centres. The magnetic properties of the more interesting cages, including a {Ni12} cyclic single molecule magnet, are discussed.