Supramolecular Paradigm for Capture and Co‐Precipitation of Gold(III) Coordination Complexes
Cassandra C. Shaffer, Wenqi Liu, Allen G. Oliver, Bradley D. Smith
Abstract
Abstract A new supramolecular paradigm is presented for reliable capture and co‐precipitation of haloauric acids (HAuX 4 ) from organic solvents or water. Two classes of acyclic organic compounds act as complementary receptors (tectons) by forming two sets of directional non‐covalent interactions, (a) hydrogen bonding between amide (or amidinium) NH residues and the electronegative X ligands on the AuX 4 − , and (b) electrostatic stacking of the electron deficient Au center against the face of an aromatic surface. X‐ray diffraction analysis of four co‐crystal structures reveals the additional common feature of proton bridged carbonyls as a new and predictable supramolecular design element that creates one‐dimensional polymers linked by very short hydrogen bonds (CO⋅⋅⋅OC distance <2.5 Å). Two other co‐crystal structures show that the amidinium‐π⋅⋅⋅XAu interaction will reliably engage AuX 4 − with high directionality. These acyclic compounds are very attractive as co‐precipitation agents within new “green” gold recovery processes. They also have high potential as tectons for controlled self‐assembly or co‐crystal engineering of haloaurate composites. More generally, the supramolecular paradigm will facilitate the design of next‐generation receptors or tectons with high affinity for precious metal square planar coordination complexes for use in advanced materials, nanotechnology, or medicine.