Small copper nanoclusters: X-ray absorption analysis

X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra at the cooper L_2,3-edge of small cooper nanoclusters has been studied. Theoretical interpretation of XANES spectra measured for small copper nanoclusters have been performed. Theoretical analysis is based on a self-consistent full multiple scattering theory of X-ray absorption as well as on non-muffin-tin finite difference method (FDM). This approach allows choosing the best model for local geometry of small cooper nanoclusters.     

Correlation between the energy shell structure and geometry in metallic nanoclusters: quasiresonance states, isotope effect

Metallic nanoclusters displaying electronic shell structure exhibit the special feature of a correlation between their geometry and the number of delocalized electrons. Their shape evolution can be described as a quantum oscillation between quasiresonant states (prolate and oblate configurations) whose amplitudes depend on the degree of shell filling. The picture explains the evolution of absorption spectra and predicts a peculiar isotope effect.     

The determination of copper ions based on sensitized chemiluminescence of silver nanoclusters

We report on the first application of novel, water-soluble and fluorescent silver nanoclusters (Ag NCs) in a chemiluminescent (CL) detection system. A method has been developed for the determination of copper(II) ion that is based on the fact that the weak CL resulting from the redox reaction between Ce(IV) ion and sulfite ion is strongly enhanced by the Ag NCs and that the main CL signals now originate from Ag NCs. UV-visible spectra, CL spectra and fluorescent (FL) spectra were acquired to investigate the enhanced CL mechanism. It is proposed that the electronic energy of the excited state intermediate SO₂* that originates from the CL reaction is transferred to Ag NCs to form an electronically excited NC whose emission is observed. In addition, it is found that copper(II) is capable of inhibiting the CL of the nanoclusters system, but not if other common metal ions are present. The detection of copper(II) is achieved indirectly by measuring the CL intensity of Ag NCs. Under the optimized experimental conditions, a linear relationship does exist between the intensity of CL and the concentrations of copper(II) in the range of 0.2?nM to 0.1?m??. The detection limit is 0.12?nM. The method is applied to the determination of copper(II) ion in tap water with satisfactory results.

铜纳米簇的制备、聚集诱导荧光增强性能及应用研究进展

铜纳米簇不仅具有金属纳米簇的特异性,还有前驱体价格便宜等优点,因此有广泛的应用前景。从配体辅助法、模板法、微波法、电化学法和刻蚀法等综述了铜纳米簇的制备方法。从离子诱导聚集、pH诱导聚集、组装诱导聚集和溶剂诱导聚集增强发射等方面综述了铜纳米簇聚集诱导荧光发射增强性能。从离子检测、小分子检测、酶活性检测、生物大分子检测和生物成像等方面综述了铜纳米簇的应用,并对铜纳米簇的制备、性能优化和应用等方面作了展望。     

E.s.r. and electrochemical studies of four- and five-coordinate copper(II) complexes containing mixed ligands

Heterocyclic base adducts of salicylaldehyde N(4)- cyclohexylthiosemicarbazone(H2L) copper(II) complexes have been synthesized and characterized. I.r., electronic and e.s.r. spectra of the complexes, as well as i.r., electronic and 1H- and 13C-n.m.r. spectra of the thiosemicarbazone have been obtained. Based on e.s.r. studies, all possible parameters have been calculated. The g values, calculated for all the complexes in frozen solution, indicate the presence of the unpaired electron in the dx2−y2 orbital. The metal–ligand bonding parameters evaluated showed strong in-plane σ- and in-plane π-bonding. The magnetic and spectroscopic data indicate a square-planar geometry for the four-coordinate and a distorted square-pyramidal structure for the five-coordinate complexes. From cyclic voltammetric data quasireversible copper(II)/copper(I) couples are observed for the complexes. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Solution Equilibria and Structures of the Interaction of Diglycollic Acid with Iron(III), Cobalt(II), Nickel(II) and Copper(II) Salts

The interaction of diglycollic acid ligand with iron(III), cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II) salts was investigated potentiometrically and spectrophotometrically. Only 1:1 complexes were formed in solution and solid. The pK's of the ligand and its complexes were computed. The electronic absorption spectra of the complexes depict the octahedral geometry. The infra-red spectra of the ligand and its complexes were discussed.     

Systematically Tuning the Electronic Structure of Gold Nanoclusters through Ligand Derivatization

While the ability to crystallize metal nanoclusters has revealed their geometric structure, the lack of a similarly precise measure of their electronic structure has hampered the development of synthetic design rules to precisely engineer their electronic properties. We track the evolution of highly‐resolved electronic absorption spectra of gold nanoclusters with precisely mass‐selected chemical composition in a controlled environment. Simple derivatization of the ligands yields larger spectral changes than varying the overall atomic composition of the cluster for two clusters with similar symmetry and size. The nominally metal‐localized HOMO–LUMO transition of these nanoclusters lowers in energy linearly with increasing electron donation from the exterior of the ligand shell for both cluster sizes. Very weak surface interactions, such as binding of He or N₂, yield significant state‐dependent shifts, identifying states with significant interfacial character. These observations demonstrate a pathway for deliberate tuning of interfacial chemistry for chemical and technological applications.     

Predicting absorption spectra of silver-ligand complexes

The detailed structures of most of ligand-stabilized metal nanoclusters (NCs) remain unknown due to the absence of crystal structure data for them. In such a situation, quantum-chemical modeling is of particular interest. We compared the performance of different theoretical methods of geometry optimization and absorption spectra calculation for silver-thiolate complexes. We showed that the absorption spectra calculated with the ADC(2) method were consistent with the spectra obtained with CC2 method. Three DFT functionals (B3LYP, CAM-B3LYP, and M06-2X) failed to reproduce the CC2 absorption spectra of the silver-thiolate complexes.     

Electrochemical studies of copper(II) complexes derived from bulky Schiff bases. The crystal structure of bis[N-(1- adamantyl)-salicylaldiminato]copper(II)

Three Schiff base ligands and their corresponding copper(II) complexes have been prepared and characterized. Elemental analyses, mass spectra, i.r., electronic spectra, eff and the X- ray crystal structure for one of the complexes, as well as elemental analyses, mass spectra, i.r., electronic and 1H n.m.r. spectra of the ligands, have been obtained. The X-ray study shows that the geometry around the metal atom is intermediate between square planar and tetrahedral. Electrochemical studies on the complexes reveal a dependence of the CuII/CuI potentials on the extent of distortion of the planar structure observed in solid state.     

Synthesis and characterization of iron(III), manganese(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes of salicylidene-N-anilinoacetohydrazone (H2L1) and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthylidene-N-anilinoacetohydrazone (H2L2)

Salicylidene-N-anilinoacetohydrazone (H(2)L(1)) and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthylidene-N-anilinoacetohydrazone (H(2)L(2)) and their iron(III), manganese(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes have been synthesized and characterized by IR, electronic spectra, molar conductivities, magnetic susceptibilities and ESR. Mononuclear complexes are formed with molar ratios of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 (M:L). The IR studies reveal various modes of chelation. The electronic absorption spectra and magnetic susceptibility measurements show that the iron(III), nickel(II) and cobalt(II) complexes of H(2)L(1) have octahedral geometry. While the cobalt(II) complexes of H(2)L(2) were separated as tetrahedral structure. The copper(II) complexes have square planar stereochemistry. The ESR parameters of the copper(II) complexes at room temperature were calculated. The g values for copper(II) complexes proved that the Cu-O and Cu-N bonds are of high covalency.     

Synthesis, spectral, thermal and antimicrobial studies of some new tri metallic biologically active ceftriaxone complexes

Iron, cobalt, nickel and copper complexes of ceftriaxone were prepared in 1:3 ligand:metal ratio to examine the ligating properties of the different moieties of the drug. The complexes were found to have high percentages of coordinated water molecules. The modes of bonding were discussed depending on the infrared spectral absorption peaks of the different allowed vibrations. The Nujol mull electronic absorption spectra and the magnetic moment values indicated the Oh geometry of the metal ions in the complexes. The ESR spectra of the iron, cobalt, and copper complexes were determined and discussed. The thermal behaviors of the complexes were studied by TG and DTA techniques. The antimicrobial activities of the complexes were examined and compared to that of the ceftriaxone itself.     

Catalytic and biological activity of transition metal complexes of salicylaldiminopropylphosphine

Primary phosphine complexes of transition metals have been synthesized from salicylaldiminopropylphosphine. The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared, electronic, ¹H NMR, ³¹P NMR spectra, magnetic susceptibility, and conductivity measurements. The studies indicate square planar geometry for copper, cobalt, and nickel complexes. The EPR spectra of copper complex in acetonitrile at 300 and 77 K were recorded. The biological activities of the ligand and metal complexes have been studied on microorganisms such as Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus flavus by the well-diffusion method. The zone of inhibition values were measured at 37°C for 24 h. The electrochemical behavior of copper complexes was studied by cyclic voltammetry. The copper(II) complex oxidizes cinnamaldehyde using hydrogen peroxide as oxidant.     

The electronic structure and adsorption geometry of L-histidine on Cu(110)

The adsorption of L-histidine on clean and oxygen-covered Cu(110) surfaces has been studied by soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. The valence band spectra, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen 1 s XPS and N K edge absorption spectra were measured for submonolayer, monolayer, and multilayer films. The spectra provide a detailed picture of the electronic structure and adsorption geometry at each coverage. In the monolayer, the histidine molecules are randomly oriented, in contrast to the submonolayer regime, where the molecules are coordinated to the copper surface with the imidazole functional group nearly parallel to, and strongly interacting with, the surface. The pi*/sigma* intensity ratio in NEXAFS spectra at the nitrogen edge varies strongly with angle, showing the imidazole ring is oriented. Adsorption models are proposed.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel chromone Schiff base complexes as p53 activators

A series of chromone Schiff base complexes were prepared and analytically as well as spectroscopically characterized. The ligand was found to act as a monobasic tridentate ligand bonded covalently or coordinatively to the metal ion via deprotonated hydroxyl group, azomethine nitrogen atom and carbonyl oxygen atom of antipyrine moiety. Both electronic spectra and magnetic measurements indicated an octahedral or a distorted octahedral geometry around the metal ions for all metal complexes except the nickel complex, which had a tetrahedral geometry. In addition, the ability of the newly prepared compounds to activate the tumour suppressor p53 in cancer cells was studied, with zinc and copper complexes showing promising activities for p53 ubiquitination compared with diphenylimidazole (reference drug).     

Bis -(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazolyl-1-methyl)-(3-phosphanyl-propyl)-amine complexes of copper(II), nickel(II), and cobalt(II)

A series of Cu(II), Co(II), and Ni(II) complexes of bis-(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazolyl-1-methyl)-(3-phosphanyl-propyl)-amine C₁₅H₂₆N₅P (1), prepared from 3-aminopropylphosphine and 1-hydroxymethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazole were characterized. The nature of bonding and the geometry of the complexes have been deduced from elemental analysis, infrared, electronic, ¹H NMR, ³¹P NMR spectra, magnetic susceptibility, and conductivity measurements. The studies indicate octahedral geometry for nickel complex and square pyramidal geometry for copper and cobalt complexes. The EPR spectra of copper complex in acetonitrile at 300 K and 77 K were recorded. Biological activities of the ligand and metal complexes have been studied on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus flavus by well-diffusion method. The zone of inhibition values were measured at 37°C for a period of 24 h. The electrochemical behavior of copper complexes was studied by cyclic voltammetry. Catalytic study indicates the copper complex has efficient catalytic activity in oxidation of amitriptyline.     

Electronic structure and stability of binary and ternary aluminum‐bismuth‐nitrogen nanoclusters

The electronic structure and stability in binary and ternary aluminum‐bismuth‐nitrogen nanoclusters up to six atoms are studied using density functional theory (DFT). The lowest energy geometries were obtained by sampling the geometrical space with a Monte Carlo method and geometry optimizations, at DFT level, with M06L functional. The clusters stability is analyzed using formation and fragmentation energies. Our results show that a high concentration of nitrogen presents a tendency to form nitrogen clusters. highest occupied molecular orbital‐lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gaps show the well‐known oscillation as the number of atoms is increased. Bonding between Al, Bi, and N has mainly a π character. Bismuth and aluminum atoms tend to promote high multiplicity states in small clusters. These new binary and ternary materials provide a potential new field in optoelectronics and high energetic material compounds. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Simulating the optical properties of CdSe clusters using the RT-TDDFT approach

The structural and electronic properties of the CdSe nanoclusters, which have been intended to model quantum dots, have been examined by means of time-dependent density functional (TDDFT) calculations. The optical spectra were first simulated using the standard linear response implementation of the TDDFT (LR-TDDFT) in a series of calculations performed using different basis sets and exchange–correlation functionals. In a second step, the real-time TDDFT implementation (RT-TDDFT) was used to simulate the optical absorption spectra of the CdSe nanoclusters, both naked and capped with ligands. In general, we found that the RT-TDDFT approach successfully reproduced the optical spectrum of CdSe clusters offering a good compromise to render both the optical and the geometrical properties of the CdSe clusters at lower computational costs. While for small systems, the standard TDDFT is better suited, for medium- to large-sized systems, the real-time TDDFT becomes competitive and more efficient.     

Variable control of the electronic states of a silver nanocluster via protonation/deprotonation of polyoxometalate ligands

The properties of metal nanoclusters depend on both their structures and electronic states. However, in contrast to the significant advances achieved in the synthesis of structurally well-defined metal nanoclusters, systematic control of their electronic states is still challenging. In particular, stimuli-responsive and reversible control of the electronic states of metal nanoclusters is attractive from the viewpoint of their practical applications. Recently, we developed a synthesis method for atomically precise Ag nanoclusters using polyoxometalates (POMs) as inorganic ligands. Herein, we exploited the acid/base nature of POMs to reversibly change the electronic states of an atomically precise {Ag₂₇} nanocluster via protonation/deprotonation of the surrounding POM ligands. We succeeded in systematically controlling the electronic states of the {Ag₂₇} nanocluster by adding an acid or a base (0–6 equivalents), which was accompanied by drastic changes in the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra of the nanocluster solutions. These results demonstrate the great potential of Ag nanoclusters for unprecedented applications in various fields such as sensing, biolabeling, electronics, and catalysis.

The electronic states of Ag nanoclusters were reversibly controlled driven by protonation/deprotonation of polyoxometalate ligands.     

Approximate SCF CI calculation of excited state geometries of phenol,aniline, para-fluorophenol and para-fluoroaniline

The CNDO/s method has been used to study the electronic structure, spectra, geometry and rotational constants in the ground and the first excited singlet states of phenol, aniline, para-fluorophenol and para-fluoroaniline. The ground state geometry has also been studied using CNDO/2 and INDO methods. Calculated bond length changes following the electronic excitation have been compared with experimental results and ambiguities present in the latter have been resolved.     

Template synthesis and spectral characterization of some Schiff base complexes derived from quinoxaline-2-carboxaldehyde and L-histidine

New Schiff base complexes of Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) were synthesized by template condensation of quinoxaline-2-carboxaldehyde, L-histidine, and the metal compound, and were characterized by elemental analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electronic spectra, conductance measurements, magnetic susceptibility measurements, ESR spectra, and thermal analysis. In all the complexes, the Schiff base coordinates through azomethine nitrogen, quinoxaline nitrogen, and carboxylato oxygen. The physicochemical and spectroscopic measurements reveal square planar geometry for the copper(II) complex, tetrahedral geometry for the manganese(II), cobalt(II), and zinc(II) complexes, and octahedral geometry for the iron(III) and nickel(II) complexes.