When gold is not noble: catalysis by nanoparticles

Bulk gold is chemically inert and is generally regarded as a poor catalyst. However, when gold is in very small particles with diameters below 10 nm and is deposited on metal oxides or activated carbon, it becomes surprisingly active, especially at low temperatures, for many reactions such as CO oxidation and propylene epoxidation. The catalytic performance of Au is defined by three major factors: contact structure, support selection, and particle size. The role of the perimeter interfaces of Au particles as the sites for reactions is discussed as well as the change in chemical reactivity of Au clusters composed of fewer than 300 atoms.     

Separation of gold from Cu, Pt, Pd, Ni, Zn, Cd and Hg using triphenylarsine oxide as an extractant

A method is developed for extraction of gold(III) (75–300 g) from hydrochloric acid solution with triphenylarsine oxide dissolved in toluene as extradant. Gold(III) is determined spectrophotometrically with stannous chloride. The extraction is quantitative from 1.5–1.9M hydrochloric acid with 0.25% triphenylarsine oxide and an equilibration period of 30s. The method permits separation of gold(III) from Cu(II), Pt(IV), Pd(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) and its spectrophotometric determination in ayurvedic medicines. The recovery and relative standard deviation obtained are >99.0% and <1.0%.     

金配合物[Au(C≡C-4-LNO2)(PPh3)二阶非线性光学性质的理论研究

用含时密度泛函理论组合态求和方法研究实验合成的金配合物[Au(C≡C-4-LNO2)(PPh3),L=—C6H4(1),—C5H3N(2)]和自行设计的金配合物[Au(C≡C-4-C4H2N2NO2)(PPh3)L=—C4H2N2](3)的非线性光学性质.计算结果表明,3个配合物的二阶非线性性质变化规律为β1<β2<β3,与芳香性的变化规律正好相反.3个配合物的频率色散理论计算结果与实验观测值不符,暗示着晶体合成时的晶胞排列方式是影响体系宏观NLO性质的关键因素之一.     

In Situ Monitoring of the Generation of Monodisperse Silica Particles during the Hydrolysis of Tetraethyl Orthosilicate with Piezoelectric Quartz Crystal Impedance Analyzer

The piezoelectric quartz crystal(PQC)impedance analyzer was used to monitor in situ the generation of monodisperse silica particles during the hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and their adsorption onto and Au electrode in alcohol solutions containing water(6-15mol/L)and ammonia(0.2-2.0 mol/L).The equivalent circuit parameters,the resonance frequencies and the half-peak width values of the conductance spectra of the PQC resonance were obtained.The resonant frequency decreased notably while the motional resistance changed very slightly(within 1Ω during the hydrolysis reaction,suggesting that the mass effect dominated the adsorption of generated monodisperse silica particles on the gold electrode in this system.Changes in f0 indicated that the ammonia concentration affected the hydrolytic reaction obviously,and the influence of water concentration on the reaction was small while the water was significantly excessive.Kinetics of monodisperse silica particle adsorption occurring at the electrode i solution interface was analyzed using a first-order reaction scheme.In addition,the electrolyte-induced precipitation of the monodisperse silica of adsorbed particles per area and the converge of monodisperse silica particles were obtained from scanning electron nicroscope(SEM)observations.     

Binding interactions and Raman spectral properties of pyridine interacting with bimetallic silver-gold clusters.

The binding interactions between pyridine and bimetallic silver-gold clusters are investigated using density functional theory (DFT). The binding energies of pyridine-bimetallic cluster complexes indicate that the bonding depends strongly on the binding site (Au or Ag atom) and bonding molecular orbitals in a given configuration. The donation of the lone-pair electrons of the nitrogen of pyridine to an appropriate unoccupied orbital of each metal cluster plays an important role. The low-lying excited states and charge-transfer states of four stable complexes of interest are calculated on the basis of a time-dependent DFT method. In nonresonance Raman scattering processes, the influence of binding interactions on the relative Raman intensity of totally symmetric pyridine vibrational modes is discussed. These calculated relative Raman intensities are compared with observed surface-enhanced Raman spectra of pyridine adsorbed on silver-gold alloy surfaces.     

Evaluation of electroless gold deposited on porous silica for ligand attachment for metal ion-exchange

A novel ion-exchange system was developed by tethering a small, monofunctional metal ligand, 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), through thiol linkages onto a glass substrate overlaid with gold, using electroless deposition of Au onto 100 mesh controlled pore glass (CPG) particles. Two different CPG glass pore sizes of 22.6 and 104.9 nm were used in an attempt to optimize Au deposition and ligand coverage. It was found that the Au was present on both of the substrates as a nonuniform deposit, possibly existing as small multilayer islands, throughout the CPG particles. The deposit also did not fill the intricate CPG pore network.Au-CPG is a reasonable substrate for the support of small metal binding ligands such as the monofunctional MPA. Typical metal binding capacities were in the range of 7-24 μmol metal/g column, with the smaller pore system binding approximately twice as much metal as the larger pore system due to increased surface area and fractional ligand coverage. The immobilized binding systems were also found to remain chemically and structurally stable in pH environments ranging from pH∼9 to <1 (viz. 1 M HNO₃).     

Determination of carcinoembryonic antigen using a novel amperometric enzyme-electrode based on layer-by-layer assembly of gold nanoparticles and thionine

Electrochemical sensing of carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)on a gold electrode modified by the se- quential incorporation of the mediator,thionine(Thi),and gold nanoparticles(nano-Au),through co- valent linkage and electrostatic interactions onto a self-assembled monolayer configuration is de- scribed in this paper.The enzyme,horseradish peroxidase(HRP),was employed to block the possible remaining active sites of the nano-Au monolayer,avoid the non-specific adsorption,instead of bovine serum albumin(BSA),and amplify the response of the antigen-antibody reaction.Electrochemical ex- periments indicated highly efficient electron transfer by the imbedded Thi mediator and adsorbed nano-Au.The HRP kept its activity after immobilization,and the studied electrode showed sensitive response to CEA and high stability during a long period of storage.The working range for the system was 2.5 to 80.0 ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.90 ng/mL.The model membrane system in this work is a potential biosensor for mimicking the other immunosensor and enzyme sensor.     

Impedimetric sensing of uranyl ion based on phosphate functionalized cysteamine self-assembled monolayers

A phosphate functionalized cysteamine self-assembled monolayer based on gold electrode is designed for uranyl ion (UO₂²⁺) detection. The response of the modified electrode is studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry. The EIS data are approximated using constant phase element (CPE) model from which kinetic and analytical parameters are evaluated. Uranyl ion is recognized based on blocking effect against charge transfer between p-benzoquinone as a probe and the modified electrode. This effect is detected from linear variation of charge transfer resistance (R_ct) as a function of UO₂²⁺ concentration. From the analysis of the EIS data and approximated parameters, a method is developed for UO₂²⁺ determination based on impedimetric measurements.