Luminescent gold(I) metallo-acids and their hydrogen bonded supramolecular liquid crystalline derivatives with decyloxystilbazole as hydrogen acceptor.

Gold complexes of 4-isocyanobenzoic acid, [AuX(CNC(6)H(4)CO(2)H)] (X = C[triple bond]C-C(6)H(4)-C(9)H(19), C(6)F(5), C(6)F(4)OC(6)H(13), C(6)F(4)C(6)F(4)Br) and [(mu-4,4'-C(6)F(4)C(6)F(4)){Au(CNC(6)H(4)CO(2)H)}(2)], have been isolated. These metallo-acids are luminescent. The single crystal X-ray diffraction study of [Au(C(6)F(5))(CNC(6)H(4)CO(2)H)](infinity) confirms a rod-like structure of the molecule, with a linear coordination around the gold atom, which extends into a supramolecular entity supported by hydrogen bond, gold-gold, and fluorophilic (F(ortho) ... F(meta)) interactions. The carboxylic acid group of the gold isocyanide complexes acts also as a hydrogen donor towards the hydrogen acceptor decyloxystilbazole, affording some hydrogen-bonded supramolecular liquid crystals.