The Structure and Optical Properties of the [Au18(SR)14] Nanocluster

Decreasing the core size is one of the best ways to study the evolution from Au^I complexes into Au nanoclusters. Toward this goal, we successfully synthesized the [Au₁₈(SC₆H₁₁)₁₄] nanocluster using the [Au₁₈(SG)₁₄] (SG=L ‐glutathione) nanocluster as the starting material to react with cyclohexylthiol, and determined the X‐ray structure of the cyclohexylthiol‐protected [Au₁₈(C₆H₁₁S)₁₄] nanocluster. The [Au₁₈(SR)₁₄] cluster has a Au₉ bi‐octahedral kernel (or inner core). This Au₉ inner core is built by two octahedral Au₆ cores sharing one triangular face. One transitional gold atom is found in the Au₉ core, which can also be considered as part of the Au₄(SR)₅ staple motif. These findings offer new insight in terms of understanding the evolution from [Au^I(SR)] complexes into Au nanoclusters.     

Structure Determination of [Au18(SR)14]

Unravelling the atomic structures of small gold clusters is the key to understanding the origin of metallic bonds and the nucleation of clusters from organometallic precursors. Herein we report the X‐ray crystal structure of a charge‐neutral [Au₁₈(SC₆H₁₁)₁₄] cluster. This structure exhibits an unprecedented bi‐octahedral (or hexagonal close packing) Au₉ kernel protected by staple‐like motifs including one tetramer, one dimer, and three monomers. Until the present, the [Au₁₈(SC₆H₁₁)₁₄] cluster is the smallest crystallographically characterized gold cluster protected by thiolates and provides important insight into the structural evolution with size. Theoretical calculations indicate charge transfer from surface to kernel for the HOMO–LUMO transition.     

An Atomically Precise Au10Ag2 Nanocluster with Red–Near‐IR Dual Emission

A red–near‐IR dual‐emissive nanocluster with the composition [Au₁₀Ag₂(2‐py?C≡C)₃(dppy)₆](BF₄)₅ ( 1 ; 2‐py?C≡C is 2‐pyridylethynyl, dppy=2‐pyridyldiphenylphosphine) has been synthesized. Single‐crystal X‐ray structural analysis reveals that 1 has a trigonal bipyramidal Au₁₀Ag₂ core that contains a planar Au₄(2‐py?C≡C)₃ unit sandwiched by two Au₃Ag(dppy)₃ motifs. Cluster 1 shows intense red–NIR dual emission in solution. The visible emission originates from metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer (MLCT) from silver atoms to phosphine ligands in the Au₃Ag(dppy)₃ motifs, and the intense NIR emission is associated with the participation of 2‐pyridylethynyl in the frontier orbitals of the cluster, which is confirmed by a time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) calculation.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Pd@MxCu1−x (M=Au,Pd, and Pt) Nanocages with Porous Walls and a Yolk–Shell Structure through Galvanic Replacement Reactions

This paper describes the synthesis of Pd@M_xCu_1?x (M=Au, Pd, and Pt) nanocages with a yolk–shell structure through galvanic replacement reactions that involve Pd@Cu core–shell nanocubes as sacrificial templates and ethylene glycol as the solvent. Compared with the most commonly used templates based on Ag, Cu offers a much lower reduction potential (0.34 versus 0.80 V), making the galvanic reaction more easily to conduct, even at room temperature. Our structural and compositional characterizations indicated that the products were hollow inside, and each one of them contained porous M–Cu alloy walls and a Pd cube in the interior. For the Pd@Au_xCu_1?x yolk–shell nanocages, they displayed broad extinction peaks extending from the visible to the near‐IR region. Our mechanistic study revealed that the dissolution of the Cu shell preferred to start from the slightly truncated corners and then progressed toward the interior, because the Cu {100} side faces were protected by a surface capping layer of hexadecylamine. This galvanic approach can also be extended to generating other hollow metal nanostructures by using different combinations of Cu nanostructures and salt precursors.     

Ag2Au50(PET)36 Nanocluster: Dimeric Assembly of Au25(PET)18 Enabled by Silver Atoms

The assembly of atomically precise metal nanoclusters offers exciting opportunities to gain fundamental insights into the hierarchical assembly of nanoparticles. However, it is still challenging to control the assembly of individual nanoclusters at a molecular or atomic level. Herein, we report the dimeric assembly of Au₂₅(PET)₁₈ (PET=2‐phenylethanethiol), where two Au₂₅(PET)₁₈ monomers are bridged together by two Ag atoms to form the Ag₂Au₅₀(PET)₃₆ dimer. The Ag₂Au₅₀(PET)₃₆ dimer is a unique mesomer, which has not been found in any other chiral metal nanoclusters. Furthermore, the Ag₂Au₅₀(PET)₃₆ dimer is distinct from the Au₂₅(PET)₁₈ monomer in its optical, electronic, and catalytic properties. This study is expected to provide a feasible strategy to precisely modulate the assembly of metal nanoclusters with controllable structures and properties.     

Structure Determination of Alkynyl‐Protected Gold Nanocluster Au22(tBuC≡C)18 and Its Thermochromic Luminescence

An alkynyl‐protected gold nanocluster, Au₂₂(^tBuC≡C)₁₈ ( 1 ), has been synthesized and its structure has been determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The molecular structure consists of a Au₁₃ cuboctahedron kernel and three [Au₃(^tBuC≡C)₄] trimeric staples. The cluster 1 has strong luminescence in the solid state with a 15 % quantum yield, and it displays interesting thermochromic luminescence as revealed by temperature‐dependent emission spectra. The enhanced room‐temperature emission is characterized as thermally activated delayed fluorescence.     

Coherent Vibrational Dynamics of [Au25(SR)18]- Nanoclusters?

Coherent vibrational dynamics can be observed in atomically precise gold nanoclusters using femtosecond time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy. It can not only reveal the coupling between electrons and vibrations, but also reflect the mechanical and electronic properties of metal nanoclusters, which holds potential applications in biological sensing and mass detection. Here, we investigated the coherent vibrational dynamics of [Au₂₅(SR)₁₈]^- nanoclusters by ultrafast spectroscopy and revealed the origins of these coherent vibrations by analyzing their frequency, phase and probe wavelength distributions. Strong coherent oscillations with frequency of 40 cm^-1 and 80 cm^-1 can be reproduced in the excited state dynamics of [Au₂₅(SR)₁₈]^-, which should originate from acoustic vibrations of the Au₁₃ metal core. Phase analysis on the oscillations indicates that the 80 cm^-1 mode should arise from the frequency modulation of the electronic states while the 40 cm^-1 mode should originate from the amplitude modulation of the dynamic spectrum. Moreover, it is found that the vibration frequencies of [Au₂₅(SR)₁₈]^- obtained in pump-probe measurements are independent of the surface ligands so that they are intrinsic properties of the metal core. These results are of great value to understand the electron-vibration coupling of metal nanoclusters.     

A Functionalized Ag2S Molecular Architecture: Facile Assembly of the Atomically Precise Ferrocene‐Decorated Nanocluster [Ag74S19(dppp)6(fc(C{O}OCH2CH2S)2)18]

A ferrocene‐based dithiol 1,1′‐[fc(C{O}OCH₂CH₂SH)₂] has been prepared and treated with a Ag^I salt to form the stable dithiolate compound [fc(C{O}OCH₂CH₂SAg)₂]_n (fc=[Fe(η⁵‐C₅H₄)₂]). This is used as a reagent for the preparation of the nanocluster [Ag₇₄S₁₉(dppp)₆(fc(C{O}OCH₂CH₂S)₂)₁₈] which was obtained in good yield (dppp=1,3‐bis(diphenylphosphino)propane).     

One‐Pot Synthesis of Phenylmethanethiolate‐Protected Au20(SR)16 and Au24(SR)20 Nanoclusters and Insight into the Kinetic Control

We report two synthetic routes for concurrent formation of phenylmethanethiolate (‐SCH₂Ph)‐protected Au₂₀(SR)₁₆ and Au₂₄(SR)₂₄ nanoclusters in one‐pot by kinetic control. Unlike the previously reported methods for thiolate‐protected gold nanoclusters, which typically involve rapid reduction of the gold precursor by excess NaBH₄ and subsequent size focusing into atomically monodisperse clusters of a specific size, the present work reveals some insight into the kinetic control in gold–thiolate cluster synthesis. We demonstrate that the synthesis of ‐SCH₂Ph‐protected Au₂₀ and Au₂₄ nanoclusters can be obtained through two different, kinetically controlled methods. Specifically, route 1 employs slow addition of a relatively large amount of NaBH₄ under slow stirring of the reaction mixture, while route 2 employs rapid addition of a small amount of NaBH₄ under rapid stirring of the reaction mixture. At first glance, these two methods apparently possess quite different reaction kinetics, but interestingly they give rise to exactly the same product (i.e., the coproduction of Au₂₀(SCH₂Ph)₁₆ and Au₂₄(SCH₂Ph)₂₀ clusters). Our results explicitly demonstrate the complex interplay between the kinetic factors that include the addition speed and amount of NaBH₄ solution as well as the stirring speed of the reaction mixture. Such insight is important for devising synthetic routes for different sized nanoclusters. We also compared the photoluminescence and electrochemical properties of PhCH₂S‐protected Au₂₀ and Au₂₄ nanoclusters with the PhC₂H₄S‐protected counterparts. A surprising 2.5 times photoluminescence enhancement was observed for the PhCH₂S‐capped nanoclusters when compared to the PhC₂H₄S‐capped analogues, thereby indicating a drastic effect of the ligand that is merely one carbon shorter.     

Neue arsinidenverbrückte Mehrkern-Clusterkomplexe des Ag und Au. Die Kristallstrukturen von [Ag14(AsPh)6Cl2(PR3)8], (PR3 = PEt3, PMenPr2, PnPr3), [M4(As4Ph4)2(PR3)4], (M = Ag,PR3 = PEt3, PnPr3; M = Au,PR3 = PnPr3), [Au10(AsPh)4(PhAsSiMe3)2(PnPr3)6]

New Arsinidene-bridged Multinuclear Cluster Complexes of Ag and Au. The Crystal Structures of [Ag₁₄(AsPh)₆Cl₂(PR₃)₈], (PR₃ = PEt₃, PMeⁿPr₂, PⁿPr₃), [M₄(As₄Ph₄)₂(PR₃)₄], (M = Ag, PR₃ = PEt₃, PⁿPr₃; M = Au, PR₃ = PⁿPr₃), [Au₁₀(AsPh)₄(PhAsSiMe₃)₂(PⁿPr₃)₆] The reaction of AgCl with PhAs(SiMe₃)₂ in presence of tertiary phosphines (PR₃) leads to arsinidene-bridged silver clusters with the composition [Ag₁₄(AsPh)₆Cl₂(PR₃)₈], (PR₃ = PEt₃ 1 , PMeⁿPr₂ 2 , PⁿPr₃ 3 ). Further it is possible to obtain the multinuclear complexes [Ag₄(As₄Ph₄)₂(PR₃)₄], (PR₃ = PEt₃ 4 , PMeⁿPr₂ 5 ). In analogy to that [PMe₃AuCl] reacts with PhAs(SiMe₃)₂ and PⁿPr₃ to form the compound [Au₄(As₄Ph₄)₂(PⁿPr₃)₄] 6 , which is isostructurell to 4 and 5 . The gold cluster [Au₁₀(AsPh)₄(PhAsSiMe₃)₂(PⁿPr₃)₆] 7 was obtained from the same solution. The structures were characterized by X-ray single crystal structure analysis. (Crystallographic data see “Inhaltsübersicht”)     

ChemInform Abstract: Electronic Structure Study of the [Ag—Ag]4‐, [Au—Au]4‐, and [Hg—Hg]2‐ Zintl Anions in the Intermetallic Compounds Yb3Ag2, Ca5Au4, and Ca3Hg2: Transition Metal Anions as p‐Metal Elements

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.     

Tuning the Accessibility and Activity of Au25(SR)18 Nanocluster Catalysts through Ligand Engineering

In this work, the effects of thiolate ligands (‐SR, e.g., chain length and functional moiety) on the accessibility and catalytic activity of thiolate‐protected gold nanoclusters (e.g., Au₂₅(SR)₁₈) for 4‐nitrophenol hydrogenation is reported. The data suggest that Au₂₅(SR)₁₈ bearing a shorter alkyl chain shows a better accessibility to the substrates (shown by shorter induction time, t₀) and a higher catalytic activity (shown by higher apparent reaction rate constant, k_app). The functional moiety of the ligands is another determinant factor, which clearly suggests that ligand engineering of Au₂₅(SR)₁₈ would be an efficient platform for fine‐tuning its catalytic properties.     

Syntheses and Crystal Structure of a New 3D Ag(I)-Fumaric Acid Framework, [Ag(hmt)(fma)_(1/2)·2H_2O]_n

IntroductionInrecentseveraldecades ,thedesignandsynthesesofnovelstructurematerialhavebecomeanactiveresearchfield .1 3However,thedeliberatedesignofnewfunctionalmaterialsbasedonpolymerisstillanarduouschallengetoinorganicchemistsbecausetheassemblyofthosestructuresisheavilyinfluencedbymanyfactorssuchasthepHval ue ,thesolventandcounterion .4 Muchefforthasbeende votedtoexploreusefulsyntheticstrategiesinordertoob taintheanticipatoryframework .Fortunately ,alotofin triguingstructureshavebeensynthesiz…     

Synthesis,X‐ray Single‐Crystal Structure Determination,and Magnetic Properties of [Rb(benzo[18]crown‐6)]+ Salts Containing Well‐Ordered Fulleride Trianions C603−

Finally, a structure with well‐resolved C ₆₀ ^3? ions and S=1/2 spin system : The two novel title compounds have clearly S=1/2 and not S=3/2 electronic states, as expected for the occupation of the triply degenerate LUMO of C_60. These structures with well‐ordered fullerene trianions show that the expected Jahn–Teller distortion is not observable in X‐ray diffraction experiments.

     

Au57Ag53(C≡CPh)40Br12: A Large Nanocluster with C1 Symmetry

The controlled synthesis and structure determination of a bimetallic nanocluster Au₅₇Ag₅₃(C≡CPh)₄₀Br₁₂ (Au₅₇Ag₅₃) is presented. The metal core has a four‐shell Au₂M₃@Au₃₄@Ag₅₁ @Au₂₀ (M=1/3 Au+2/3 Ag) architecture. In contrast to the previously reported large nanoclusters that have highly symmetric kernel structures, the metal atoms in Au₅₇Ag₅₃ are arranged in an irregular manner with C₁ symmetry. This cluster exhibits excellent thermal stability and is robust under oxidative or basic conditions. The silver precursors play a key role in dictating the structures of the nanoclusters, which suggests the importance of the counteranions used.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of a Decanuclear Silver（I）-thiolate Compound Ag10S[S2P（OEt）2]8

A new decanuclear silver(I) compound Ag₁₀(μ₈‐S)(dtp)₈ [dtp=S₂P(OEt)₂] was isolated from a reaction mixture containing W₂S₄(dtp)₂ and AgN0₃, and its solid‐state molecular structure was determinated by X‐ray crystallography. The crystallographic study revealed that the compound contains a distorted mono‐capped quasi‐prism [Ag_io] with an octat‐bridging S atom at the center of the prism. The compound (C₃₂H₈₀Ag₁₀O₁₆P₈S₁₇, M_r=2592.46) crystallizes in the monoclinic P2₁/n space group, with a = 1.5111(5) nm, b=2.3656(8) nm, c=2.284(1) nm, β= 96.88(3)°, V=8.107(5) nm³, Z=4 and D,=2.12 g · cm^?3. The solution using direct method and full‐matrix least‐squares refinement led to R=0.066, Rw=0.078 for 3928 reflections with I3σ(I).