Synthesis of gold-silver luminescent honeycomb aggregates by both solvent-based and solvent-free methods.

Heterometallic clusters with strong luminescence have been synthesized (see picture: Au(C≡CPh)(2)yellow-red, Ag(2)blue, Ored) from the metalloligand unit [Au(C≡CPh)PPh(3) ] (yellow/red bars) by using both standard solvent-based and solvent-free reactions. The aggregates are stabilized only by acetylide-metal or metal-metal interactions, and their nuclearity is controlled through the addition of different donor ligands.