Crystal Structure, Dissolution, and Deposition of a 5 nm Functionalized Metal−Organic Great Rhombicuboctahedron

A metal-organic great rhombicuboctahedron (termed MOP-18) was functionalized with extended alkyl chains and crystallized. It has 12 rigid square-shaped Cu2(CO2)4 paddle-wheel building units and 24 5-dodecoxybenzene-1,3-dicarboxylate links. MOP-18 is soluble in a variety of organic solvents, such as tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, and toluene, which enabled its assembly on graphite substrate and its observation by scanning tunneling microscopy.