[Cu 12 (NPEt 3 ) 8 ] 4+ and [Ag 12 (NPEt 3 ) 8 ] 4+ : Cubane Structures

Unusual, highly symmetrical cubes are formed by the dodecameric cationic phosphoraneiminato complexes of copper(I) and silver(I) [M12(NPEt3)8]4+, in which the metal atoms occupy the edges and the N atoms of NPEt 3−3 groups the corners of the cube (see figure). The structures can be understood as molecular sections of the Cu3N structure, which is inverse to the ReO3-type structure.