Supramolecular design of one-dimensional coordination polymers based on silver(I) complexes of aromatic nitrogen-donor ligands

This review discusses the design and structure of coordination polymers derived from Ag(I) with N-donor ligands and their role in the investigation of weak non-covalent interactions in the solid state. These forces include arene-arene, metal-anion, metal-arene and metal-metal interactions. The main purpose of this review is to classify and discuss the supramolecular forces which define the overall observed structure (topology, geometry and packing arrangement) of coordination polymers by comparison of a series of structurally related compounds when one parameter of the multi-component system (choice of anion, ligand or solvent) is varied. Design criteria for one-dimensional polymers are given and discussed with respect to the fundamental importance of these compounds for understanding and further development of supramolecular synthetic strategies. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. AM rights reserved.