Substituent effects on the exchange dynamics of ligands on 1.6 nm diameter gold nanoparticles

The kinetics of exchange ofphenylethanethiolate ligands (PhC2S) of monolayer-protected clusters (MPCs, average formula Au140(PhC2S)53) by para-substituted arylthiols (p-X-ArSH) are described. 1H NMR measurements of thiol concentrations show that the exchange reaction is initially rapid and gradually slows almost to a standstill. The most labile ligands, exchanging at the shortest reaction times, are thought to be those at defect sites (edges, vertexes) on the nanoparticle core surface. The pseudo-first-order rate constants derived from the first 10% of the exchange reaction profile vary linearly with in-coming arylthiol concentration, meaning that the labile ligands exchange in a second-order process, which is consistent with ligand exchange being an associative process. A linear Hammett relationship with slope p = 0.44 demonstrates a substituent effect in the ligand place exchange reaction, in which the bimolecular rate constants increase for ligands with electron-withdrawing substituents (1.4 x 10-2 and 3.8 x 10(-3) M(-1) s(-1) for X = NO2 and 4-OH, respectively). This is interpreted as the more polar Au-S bonds at the defect sites favoring bonding with more electron deficient sulfur moieties. At longer reaction times, where ligands exchange on nondefect (terrace) as well as defect sites, the extent of ligand exchange is higher for thiols with more electron-donating substituents. The difference between short-time kinetics and longer-time pseudoequilibria is rationalized based on differences in Au-S bonding at defect vs nondefect MPC core sites. The study adds substance to the mechanisms of exchange of protecting ligands on nanoparticles. The scope and limitations of 1H NMR spectroscopy for determining rate data are also discussed.     

Effect of peptide ligand dipole moments on the redox potentials of Au38 and Au140 nanoparticles

Phenylethanethiolate monolayer-protected Au38 and Au140 nanoclusters were modified by ligand place exchange with a series of thiolated peptides. The peptides were homooligomers based on the alpha-aminoisobutyiric acid unit. The effects of changing the peptide concentration and the peptide length in the capping monolayer were studied by differential pulse voltammetry. The results showed that the redox behavior of the nanoparticles can be affected very significantly by such modifications. For example, the first oxidation peak of Au38, a cluster displaying molecule-like behavior, could be shifted positively by as much as 0.7-0.8 V. Detectable redox shifts were noted even when one single oriented peptide was in the Au140 monolayer. These effects were attributed to the molecular dipole moments of the peptide ligands.     

Gold nanoclusters protected by conformationally constrained peptides

The preparation and properties of a series of gold nanoclusters protected by thiolated peptides based on the alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) unit are described. The peptides were devised to form 0-3 C=O...H-N intramolecular hydrogen bonds, as required by their 3(10)-helical structure. The monolayer-protected clusters (MPCs) were prepared, using a modified version of the two-phase Brust-Schiffrin preparation, and fully characterized with (1)H NMR spectrometry, IR and UV-vis absorption spectroscopies, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The MPCs were obtained with core diameters in the range of 1.1-2.3 nm, depending on the reaction conditions. Structured peptides formed smaller clusters. The smallest MPC obtained is in agreement with the average formula Au(38)Pep(18). The results showed that the chemical integrity of the peptide is maintained upon monolayer formation and that the average number of peptide ligands per gold cluster is typically 75-85% the value calculated for alkanethiolate MPCs of similar sizes. The IR and NMR spectra indicated that in the monolayer the peptides are involved in both intra- and interligand C=O...H-N hydrogen bonds.     

Chaotic Expansion of Elements of the Universal Enveloping Algebra of a Lie Algebra Associated with a Quantum Stochastic Calculus

The functional Ito formula, in the form df() = f( + d ) –f(),is formulated and proved in the context of a Lie algebra L associatedwith a quantum (non-commutative) stochastic calculus. Here fis an element of the universal enveloping algebra U of L, andf() + d() – f() is given a meaning using the coproductstructure of U even though the individual terms of this expressionhave no meaning. The Ito formula is equivalent to a chaoticexpansion formula for f() which is found explicitly. 1991 MathematicsSubject Classification: primary 81S25; secondary 60H05; tertiary18B25.     

Voltammetry and electron-transfer dynamics in a molecular melt of a 1.2 nm metal quantum dot

New molecular melts of nanoparticles have been obtained by place exchanging thiolated poly(ethyleneglycol, MW = 350) ligands into the monolayer shells of the quantum dot nanoparticle Au38(phenylethylthiolate)24. These melts are nearly monodisperse in monolayer protected Au clusters with core diameters of approximately 1.2 nm. LiClO4 electrolyte can be dissolved in the melt via the PEG component of the protecting monolayer, producing an ionically conductive nanophase and enabling voltammetry of the undiluted, semisolid nanoparticle molecular melt. The optical and electrochemical charging properties of the small nanoparticles have molecule-like characteristics (as opposed to quantized double layer charging) both in dilute fluid-solvent solutions and as undiluted melts. Potential step chronoamperometry shows that electronic charge is transported through the melt by diffusion-like core-core electron hopping reactions with a rate constant of 2 x 104 s-1.