Collection 

Coordination Chemistry

The versatility of the metal–ligand bond has seen the field of coordination chemistry grow from strength to strength. The range of metals and ligands that can partake in such bonding has offered up extraordinarily diverse coordination compounds. While relatively strong coordination bonds can lend themselves to robust complexes, their labile nature can be exploited in dynamic supramolecular systems, and in the self-assembly of ordered cages, polymers and frameworks.

This collection highlights a selection of recent studies published in Communications Chemistry, covering discrete coordination complexes, metal-organic cages and polymers, and porous metal-organic frameworks. The breadth of the field is evident, with studies ranging in focus from the design, synthesis and assembly of coordination compounds, to their chemical and physical properties, with a view towards applications in optics, magnetism, catalysis, storage, separation, and beyond.

nanorods exhibiting yellow fluorescence against a black background

Discrete coordination complexes

Metal-organic cages and polymers

Metal-organic frameworks