Synthesis of the molecular amalgam [{AuHg₂(o-C₆F₄)₃}{Hg₃(o-C₆F₄)₃}]⁻: a rare example of a heterometallic homoleptic metallacycle.

The preparation of homoleptic heterometallic complexes still remains a challenge. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of [Au(PMe3)2][{AuHg2(o-C6F4)3}{Hg3(o-C6F4)3}] (), a gold-mercury homoleptic metallacycle. The crystal structure of displays two [Hg2M(o-C6F4)3] (M = Au(I), Hg(II)) units linked through a short AuHg contact of 3.097(2) Å, the strongest unsupported Au(I)Hg(II) interaction described to date. Theoretical calculations quantify the interaction between the trimetalic units as -199 kJ mol(-1), a surprisingly strong value.