A molecular cage of nickel(II) and copper(I): a [{Ni(L)2}2(CuI)6] cluster resembling the active site of nickel-containing enzymes.

A new mononuclear low-spin nickel(II) dithiolato complex, [NiL(2)] (1), reacts with copper iodide to form the hetero-octanuclear cluster [{Ni(L)(2)}(2)(CuI)(6)] (2) with four trigonal-planar CuI(2)S and two tetrahedral CuI(2)S(2) sites; anagostic interactions between the nickel(II) ions and aromatic protons have been demonstrated by variable-temperature NMR studies to pertain in solution.