In addition to similarities, however, there are subtle differences among these three complexes. Complex
DC1 is composed of one heptanuclear cluster [Co
7(N
3)
12(MeCN)
12]
2+, and one [Y
2(NO
3)
4 (piv)
4]
2− counter anions (Fig. S6 in Supporting information). Inorganic core of
DC1 could alternatively be regarded as composing of six {Co
3(N
3)
4} partial cubane groups, each biface sharing, and all six vertexes sharing at the core Co
Ⅱ ion. All Y
Ⅲ atoms in [Y
2(NO
3)
4(piv)
4]
2− are non-coordinated and surrounded by four O atoms from two bidentate chelating NO
3− groups, and five O atoms from four bidentate chelating piv groups. The shortest distance between the Y
Ⅲ ion in the [Y
2(NO
3)
4(piv)
4]
2− counter ion and the {Co
7}
2+ moiety is 6.942 Å, while the intramolecular Y···Y distance is 3.818 Å. The coordination geometric spheres of all Y
Ⅲ atoms were determined by the SHAPE 2.1 software [
53] according to the crystallographic data, and the typical coordination geometries are listed in (Table S4 in Supporting information). The calculated continuous shape measures (
CShMs) values suggest that the Y
Ⅲ ions in
DC1 indicate the unified Muffin polyhedron with the identical
Cs symmetry (Fig. S5). The peripheral ligation of Co
6 hexagon in
DC1 is filled with 12 terminal acetonitrile molecules, two on each of the external Co
Ⅱ ions. For
DC2, noteworthily, one of the peripheral Co atoms (Co1) is linked to one MeCN molecule and one chloride ion, whereas another Co1A atom is coordinated with mixed moieties of NO
3−/Cl
− (proportion 2/3) (Fig. S7 in Supporting information). Different from
DC1 and
DC2, external six Co atoms in
DC3 bond with ten terminal MeCN molecules and two NO
3− groups, in which Co1 and Co1A atoms are surrounded by one MeCN molecule and one NO
3− group, respectively (Fig. S8 in Supporting information). The peripheral Co···Co separations in
DC1-DC3 span the range 3.251–3.265 Å, 3.271–3.316 Å and 3.265–3.271 Å, and the Co-N-Co angles are in the ranges of 95.45°–103.80°, 117.597°–121.57° and 95.65°–103.72°, respectively (Tables S5–S7 in Supporting information). The stacking of the Co
7 units in
DC1-DC3 show long intermetallic distances between Co
Ⅱ ions of adjacent molecules, with the shortest intermolecular Co···Co distances being 9.581, 8.275 and 8.294 Å, respectively (Figs. S9-S11 in Supporting information).