Isolation of the Au145(SR)60X compound (R =: N -butyl, n -pentyl; X = Br, Cl): Novel gold nanoclusters that exhibit properties subtly distinct from the ubiquitous icosahedral Au144(SR)60compound

Tiziano Dainese, Sabrina Antonello, Sara Bonacchi, Daniel Morales-Martinez, Alfonso Venzo, David M. Black, M. Mozammel Hoque, Robert L. Whetten, Flavio Maran

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5 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report the identification and quantitative isolation of Au145(SR)60X (R = n-butyl, n-pentyl; X = halide) along with elucidation of key properties as compared to the corresponding ubiquitous chiral-icosahedral Au144(SR)60 cluster known to have a central vacancy. The stoichiometries were assessed by electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) at isotopic resolution, and induced dissociation patterns indicate the 'extra' (Au,Br) atoms are strongly bound components of these structures. Voltammetric and spectroscopic characterization reveals Au145(SR)60X behaviors that are qualitatively similar to yet fascinatingly distinct from those of Au144(SR)60. (1H,13C)-NMR spectra clearly show how both Au145(SR)60X and Au144(SR)60 are capped by 12 distinct ligand types of 5-fold equivalence, as was recently established for Au144(SR)60 capped by shorter ligands, demonstrating that this novel cluster shares the same chiral-icosahedral motif. Intriguingly, Au145(SR)60X is strongly near-IR luminescent, whereas under comparable conditions Au144(SR)60 barely emits. The photoluminescence pattern of Au145(SR)60X is very similar to that observed for Au25(SR)18, which contains the Au13 core. The combined results are interpreted as consistent with neutral Au145(SR)60X as a diamagnetic species, electronically and structurally similar to the corresponding Au144(SR)60 compounds.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)15394-15402
Number of pages9
JournalNanoscale
Volume13
Issue number36
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 28 2021

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Materials Science

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