title: Ring-opening polymerization of gold macrocycles and self-assembly of a coordination polymer through hydrogen-bonding.
abstract: The equilibrium between digold and tetragold rings and a ring-opened oligomer and polymer is established by NMR and ESI-MS studies in solution and by structure determinations in the solid state; the polymer containing amide-derivatized ligands undergoes self-assembly through hydrogen bonding to give an ordered network.