A Rigid Trigonal-Prismatic Hexagold Metallocage That Behaves as a Coronene Trap

A trigonal-prismatic hexagold cage was obtained by combining a triphenylene-tris(N-heterocyclic carbene) ligand and a carbazolyl-bis(alkynyl) linker. The metallocage has a slot-like cavity with a volume of about 300 angstrom(3). The cage was used for the recognition of several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Due to the perfect dimensional match, the supramolecular complex shows a very high affinity for trapping coronene.