X-ray single-crystal analysis shows that compound
1 crystallizes in a highly symmetric hexagonal system with space group
R-3. The neutral framework is constructed by copper sulfide core [Cu
12(μ
4-SCH
3)
6]
6+ with a known Atlas-sphere configuration [
23,
24]. Connected by μ
2-Cl
- ligands in three dimensions of the crystal (
Fig. 1a), the overall formula of Atlas-sphere is [Cu
12(μ
4-SCH
3)
6(μ
2-Cl)
12]
6- (abbreviated as Cu
12S
6Cl
12). Considering the surface modification
via functional groups, two main kinds of Atlas-spheres are observed. The first one is different subunits modified cluster [
23,
25-
27], features types of fragments appended to outer Atlas-surface (
e.g., halide anion, Cu-halide, Cu-thiolate). The second one is single group functionalized structure [
24]. In this work, each of the twelve Cu atoms in the Atlas-sphere core is uniformly coordinated to a μ
2-Cl
- ligand. Compound
1 is the first 3D framework based on Atlas-sphere functionalized by single μ
2-Cl
- groups. Only one similar Atlas-cluster has been reported to our knowledge, in which the bonded Cl
- anion acts as capping ligand [
28]. In
1, a centrosymmetric {Cu
12} cubo-octahedron for {Cu
12S
6Cl
12} with an outer diameter of ~5.90 Å is observed (
Fig. 1b, left). Each SCH
3- ligand is μ
4-bonded to four Cu atoms, and six μ
4-SCH
3- are arranged into a regular octahedron, with its bearing methyl groups pointing outwards. Each edge of the octahedron has bridged by a CuCl unit, then a {Cl
12} cubooctahedron (with an outer diameter of ~10.40 Å), similar with {Cu
12} unit, has been observed (
Fig. 1b, right). Three mutually perpendicular, coplanar, eight-membered {Cu
4S
4} rings intersect at the sulfur atoms, giving birth to the known Atlas-sphere (Fig. S1 in Supporting information). Both of the crystallographically independent Cu centers (Cu1 and Cu2) lie in a trigonal coordination sphere that completed by one μ
2-Cl
- and two μ
4-SCH
3-ligands. Bond distances around the Cu centers are normal. The μ
4-S center adopts a square-pyramidal [SCCu
4] geometry, with one carbon atom at the apex and four Cu atoms in the equatorial plane. Note that, distance of Cu1···Cu2 (2.762 Å) observed within the [SCCu
4] moiety is slightly shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radius of two Cu atoms (2.80 Å) [
29,
30], indicating a weak Cu···Cu interaction.