Two-dimensional assembly of tetrahedral chalcogenide clusters with tetrakis(imidazolyl)borate ligands.

A new two-dimensional inorganic-organic hybrid solid, formulated as Cd(17)S(4)(SPh)(25)B(im)(4) (SPh = benzenethiolate, im = imidazolate), has been synthesized under solvothermal conditions. The structure features a 6(3) network with 17-nuclear cadmium clusters linked by B(im)(4)(-) ligands. The compound is a semiconductor with the band gap of 2.66 eV and displays a green luminescence upon excitation at 390 nm.