title: A chiral gold nanocluster Au20 protected by tetradentate phosphine ligands.
abstract: The chirality of a gold nanocluster can be generated from either an intrinsically chiral inorganic core or an achiral inorganic core in a chiral environment. The first structural determination of a gold nanocluster containing an intrinsic chiral inorganic core is reported. The chiral gold nanocluster [Au20(PP3)4]Cl4 (PP3=tris(2-(diphenylphosphino)ethyl)phosphine) has been prepared by the reduction of a gold(I)-tetraphosphine precursor in dichloromethane solution. Single-crystal structural determination reveals that the cluster molecular structure has C3 symmetry. It consists of a Au20 core consolidated by four peripheral tetraphosphines. The Au20 core can be viewed as the combination of an icosahedral Au13 and a helical Y-shaped Au7 motif. The identity of this Au20 cluster is confirmed by ESI-MS. The chelation of multidentate phosphines enhances the stability of this Au20 cluster.
authors.affiliation: State Key Lab of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005 (P.R. China).
authors.forename: Xian-Kai
authors.initials: XK
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Shang-Fu
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Zhi-Wei
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Quan-Ming
authors.initials: QM
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D008024:Ligands; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D010720:Phosphines / Q000737:chemistry*; D011789:Quantum Theory; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D010720:Phosphines; D006046:Gold; C044646:phosphine
keywords: chiral structures; cluster compounds; gold; nanostructures; phosphines