Improving the Solubility of Hexanuclear Heterometallic Extended Metal Atom Chain Compounds in Nonpolar Solvents by Introducing Alkyl Amine Moieties

[Image: see text] The highest occupied molecular orbital–lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO–LUMO) interaction at the d(z(2)) orbital between two kinds of metal complex is useful for obtaining heterometallic one-dimensional (1D) chains as well as heterometallic metal string compounds (HMSCs). Platinum dinuclear complexes, [Pt(2)(piam)(2)(NH(2)R)(4)]X(2) (piam = pivalamidate, R = CH(3), C(2)H(5), C(3)H(7), or C(4)H(9), X = anion), comprising σ* as HOMO were mixed with [Rh(2)(O(2)CCH(3))(4)] comprising σ* as LUMO in solvents to afford single crystals of [{Rh(2)(O(2)CCH(3))(4)}{Pt(2)(piam)(2)(NH(2)R)(4)}(2)]X(4) (2–5). Single-crystal X-ray analyses revealed that 2–5 are hexanuclear complexes that are one-dimensionally aligned as Pt–Pt–Rh–Rh–Pt–Pt with metal–metal bonds, where the alkyl moieties at end Pt atoms obstruct further 1D extension. Complexes 2–5 appear as if they are cut off from an infinite chain [{Rh(2)(O(2)CCH(3))(4)}{Pt(2)(piam)(2)(NH(3))(4)}(2)](n)(PF(6))(4n)·6nH(2)O (1) aligned as −{Pt–Pt–Rh–Rh–Pt–Pt}(n)–. The diffuse reflectance spectrum of 1 depicts broad shoulder bands, which are not present in the spectra of 2–5, proving that the infinite chain 1 forms a band structure. Compounds 4 and 5 with propyl or butyl moieties at amine ligands, respectively, are soluble in nonpolar solvents, such as CH(2)Cl(2), without the dissociation of their hexanuclear structures. Taking advantage of their solubility, measurement of cyclic voltammetry in CH(2)Cl(2) become possible, which shows the quasi-reversible oxidation and reduction waves at 4: E(ox) = 0.86 V and E(red) = 0.69 V and 5: E(ox) = 0.87 V and E(red) = 0.53 V.