A Luminescent Silver(I) Carbene Stair Polymer

Abstract

1-(9-Anthracenylmethyl)-3-ethylimidazolium iodide was heated in CH2Cl2 solution with silver oxide to afford a stair polymer of N-heterocyclic carbene silver(I), which gave strong anthracene-type fluorescence. The carbene moiety could be displaced from this polymer by pyridine to afford a known polymer with a similar shape but a tighter framework; this polymer showed an emission band at 579 nm arising from a Ag−Ag interaction.