PtZnH5(-), A σ-Aromatic Cluster.
We report a joint photoelectron spectroscopic and theoretical study of the PtZnH5(-) cluster anion. This cluster exhibited an unprecedented planar pentagonal coordination for Pt and an unusual stability and high intensity in the mass spectrum. Both are due to the σ-aromaticity found in the H5-cycle supported by the 5d orbitals on the Pt atom. σ-Aromaticity in all-H systems has been predicted in the past but never found in experimentally observed species. Besides fundamental importance, mixed transition-metal hydrides can be found as intermediates in catalytic processes, and thus, the unexpected stability facilitated by σ-aromaticity can be appreciated also in practical applications.
†Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States.
Xinxing
X
Zhang
†Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States.
Gaoxiang
G
Liu
†Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States.
Gerd
G
Ganteför
†Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States.
Kit H
KH
Bowen
‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States.|§California NanoSystems Institute, 570 Westwood Plaza, Building 114, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.
Anastassia N
AN
Alexandrova
cluster hydrides; photoelectron spectroscopy; theory; σ-aromaticity