Abstract
A novel silver sulfide cluster Ag(53)S(20)(Ph(2)PS)(24) has been discovered with cubic shells of Ag and S atoms in the interior but with a unique outer shell consisting of a network of 24 ligands and 20 Ag atoms. The network can be described as a highly distorted octahedron with approximate chiral symmetry O, the eight corners being triskeles of the same symmetry in one molecule (the crystal is racemic: Δ and Λ enantiomers). The outside of the cluster is formed by the protecting hydrophobic 48 phenyl groups. The Ag-Ph(2)PS twisted cube of the Δ enantiomer corresponds closely to the motif of the Brazuca soccer ball. Thus, the cluster presents another rare example of a complex molecule that models a sports ball.