The “Click” Reaction Involving Metal Azides, Metal Alkynes, or Both: An Exploration into Multimetal Structures

Cu(I) -catalyzed 1,3-cycloaddition of azides and alkynes (CuAAC) is one of the most powerful synthetic methodologies known. However, its use to prepare well-defined multimetallic structures is underdeveloped. Apart from the applications of this reaction to anchor different organometallic reagents to surfaces, polymers, and dendrimers, only isolated examples of CuAAC with metal-η(1) -alkyne and metal-azide complexes to prepare multimetal entities have been reported. This concept sketches the potential of these reactions not only to prepare "a la carte" multimetal 1,2,3-triazole derivatives, but also to discover new and unprecedented reactions.