Structural controlled pure metallo-triangular assembly through bisterpyridinyl Dibenzo[b,d]thiophene, Dibenzo[b,d]furan and Dibenzo[b,d]carbazole

A novel family of metallocycles was constructed by a one-pot self-assembly of three analogous bis(-terpyridine) ligand monomers L1-L3, having different bent angles, with metal ions (Zn2+ or Cd2+). The dibenzo[b,d]thiophene-containing ligand L3 assembled with the metal ions to form a single trimer, whereas the dibenzo[b,d]furan-containing ligand L2 and dibenzo[b,d]carbazole-containing ligand L1 formed a mixture of trimers and tetramers. Heteroatoms (N, O, S) significantly contributed to the molecular size of the assemblies, owing to the bent angle of the bis-terpyridines ligands. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.