Au-Au Distances Research Articles

The Gold-rich Indide Eu5Au17.7In4.3 and its Relation with the Structures of SrAu4.76In1.24 and BaLi4

The gold-rich indide Eu5Au17.7In4.3 was synthesized from the elements in a sealed tantalum ampoule that was heated in a high-frequency furnace. Eu5Au17.7In4.3 crystallizes with a new monoclinic structure type: C2/m, a = 902.7(2), b = 722.8(3), c = 1734.1(4) pm, β = 94.31(3)°, wR2 = 0.0907, 2640 F2 values and 74 variables. Eu5Au17.7In4.3 has a pronounced gold substructure with Au-Au distances ranging from 278 to 300 pm. The striking structural motifs in the gold substructure are networks of Au6 hexagons and discrete units of corner- and edge-sharing Au4 tetrahedra. Eu5Au17.70In4.30 exhibits a small homogeneity range with In/Au mixing on two Wyckoff sites. Geometrically, the Eu5Au17.7In4.3 structure can be explained as an intergrowth variant of slightly distorted SrAu4.76In1.24- and BaLi4-related slabs. The europium coordination in the BaLi4 slabs is similar to binary EuAu2.

Photophysical Properties and Electropolymerization of Gold Complexes of 3,3′′-Diethynyl-2,2′:5′,2′′-terthiophene

The preparation and crystal structures of 3,3''-diethynyl-2,2':5',2''-terthiophene (A(2)T(3)) and three Au(I) complexes containing this ligand are reported. One of the complexes, Au(2)(dppm)(A(2)T(3)), has a short Au-Au distance (3.1969 A) because of an aurophilic interaction. UV/vis absorption and emission spectra of the complexes and ligand at 298 and 85 K and photoinduced electron transfer to methyl viologen are reported. A(2)T(3) and two of the complexes may be electropolymerized, and the resulting gold-containing films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and cyclic voltammetry.

ChemInform Abstract: Gold Thiolate Complexes with Short Intermolecular Au-Au Distances from Reactions of Organic Disulfides with Gold(I) Complexes. Syntheses and Crystal Structures of (Au(I)2(PPh3)2(μ-SCH2Ph))(NO3) and Au(III) 2Cl4(μ-SPh)2.

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Interaction of CO Molecule with Au/MOR Catalyst: ONIOM-PM6 Study, Active Sites, Thermodynamic and Vibrational Frequencies

ONIOM calculations have been carried out to determine geometries, adsorption energies, and vibrational frequencies of CO on a model for Au-exchanged mordenite catalysts, Au/MOR. The CO-calculated vibrational frequencies (upsilon(CO)) are in good agreement with the reported experimental values. We proposed to interpret the frequency results. CH(3)COCH(3) and CH(3)SH adsorption enthalpy calculations on Au/MOR model show that the Au/MOR catalyst behaves like a soft acid according to Pearson's rule. A higher structural deformation degree of the mordenite was found in the calculations with PM6 than with universal force field approach approach. A new pseudopotential (ACEP-121) was developed to improve the Au-Au distance, and Au ionization potential.

Fundamental Calculations on the Surface Area Determination of Supported Gold Nanoparticles by Alkanethiol Adsorption

Surface area determination is a crucial step for the characterization of the activity of noble metal catalysts. Not only the development of useful determination methods but foremost the understanding of surface properties and their conversion into mathematical expressions are essential to obtain reliable results. A selective method to gain access to the specific surface area of gold on oxidic supports is the chemisorption of alkanethiol from suspensions. Therefore, the concentration of a 1-dodecanthiol solution before and after immersion of supported gold catalysts was determined by gas chromatography. To convert the concentration information into a specific surface area, the surface coverage, the surface atom concentration, the interatomic Au-Au distance, and the particle morphology were considered. Further calculations afforded the determination of a mean particle diameter. A good agreement was found between gold particle sizes obtained from transmission electron microscopy and thiol adsorption. The given mathematical expressions are highly valuable for a broad range of chemisorption methods and noble metal catalysts.

S-Layer protein from Lysinibacillus sphaericus JG-A12 as matrix for Au III sorption and Au-nanoparticle formation

The strain Lysinibacillus sphaericus JG-A12, isolated from the uranium mining site at Haberland, Saxony (Germany) selectively and reversibly accumulates radionuclides and toxic metals. Metal binding occurs to its surface layer (S-layer) sur- rounding the cells. Here, we have studied by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy the protein structure and stability as a function of Au III binding and the subsequent reductively induced formation of Au-nanoclusters. Similar to previously stud- ied complexes with Pd II , Au-treated S-layers become resistant to acid denaturation evidenced by little response of their amide I absorption frequency. However, the strong effect of Pd II exerted on the side chain carboxylate IR absorption intensity is not observed with gold. Particularly after reduction, the carboxyl absorption responds little to acidification and a fraction appears to be protonated already at neutral pH. We ascribe this to a hydrophobic environment of the carboxyl groups after formation of Au-nanoclusters. EXAFS spectra agree with the metallic Au-Au distance but the reduced coordination number indicates that the Au-nanoclusters do not exceed ∼2 nm. Thus, the S-layer of L. sphaericus JG-A12 provides a biotemplate for efficient Au-nanocluster formation in an acid-resistant matrix and independently of cysteins.

Synthesis and interconversions of digold(i), tetragold(i), digold(ii), gold(i)–gold(iii) and digold(iii) complexes of fluorine-substituted aryl carbanions

Treatment of [AuXL] (X = Br, L = AsPh(3); X = Cl, L = tht) with the lithium or trimethyltin derivatives of the carbanions [2-C6F4PPh2]- and [C6H3-n-F-2-PPh2]- (n = 5, 6) gives digold(I) complexes [Au2(mu-carbanion)2] (carbanion = 2-C6F4PPh2 2, C6H3-5-F-2-PPh2 3, C6H3-6-F-2-PPh2 4) which, like their 2-C6H4PPh2 counterpart, undergo oxidative addition with halogens X2 (X = Cl, Br, I) to give the corresponding, metal-metal bonded digold(II) complexes [Au2X2(mu-carbanion)2] (carbanion = 2-C6F4PPh2, X = Cl 5, Br 8, I 11; carbanion = C6H3-5-F-2-PPh2, X = Cl 6, Br 9, I 12; carbanion = C6H3-6-F-2-PPh2, X = Cl 7, Br 10, I 13). In the case of 2-C6F4PPh2 and C6H3-6-F-2-PPh2, the dihalodigold(II) complexes rearrange on heating to isomeric gold(I)-gold(III) complexes [XAu(I)(mu-P,C-carbanion)(kappa2-P,C-carbanion)Au(III)X] (carbanion = 2-C6F4PPh2, X = Cl 25, Br 26, I 27; carbanion = C6H3-6-F-2-PPh2, X = Cl 28, Br 29, I 30), in which one of the carbanions chelates to the gold(III) atom. This isomerisation is similar to, but occurs more slowly than, that in the corresponding C6H3-6-Me-2-PPh2 system. The Au2X2 complexes 6, 9 and 12, on the other hand, rearrange on heating via C-C coupling to give digold(I) complexes of the corresponding 2,2'-biphenyldiylbis(diphenylphosphine), [Au2X2(2,2'-Ph2P-5-F-C6H3C6H3-5-F-PPh2)] (X = Cl 32, Br 33, I 34), this behaviour resembling that of the 2-C6H4PPh2 and C6H3-5-Me-2-PPh2 systems. Since the C-C coupling probably occurs via undetected gold(I)-gold(III) intermediates, the presence of a 6-fluoro substituent is evidently sufficient to suppress the reductive eliminations, possibly because of an electronic effect that strengthens the gold(III)-aryl bond. Anation of 5 or 8 gives the bis(oxyanion)digold(II) complexes [Au2Y2(mu-2-C6F4PPh2)2] (Y = OAc 14, ONO2 15, OBz 16, O2CCF3 17 and OTf 20), which do not isomerise to the corresponding gold(I)-gold(III) complexes [YAu(mu-2-C6F4PPh2)(kappa2-2-C6F4PPh2)AuY] on heating, though the latter [Y = OAc 35, ONO2 36, OBz 37, O2CCF3 38] can be made by anation of 25-27. Reaction of the bis(benzoato)digold(II) complex 16 with dimethylzinc gives a dimethyl gold(I)-gold(III) complex, [Au(I)(mu-2-C6F4PPh2)2Au(III)(CH3)2] 19, in which both 2-C6F4PPh2 groups are bridging. In contrast, the corresponding reaction of 16 with C6F5Li gives a digold(II) complex [Au(II)2(C6F5)2(mu-2-C6F4PPh2)2] 18, which on heating isomerises to a gold(I)-gold(III) complex, [(C6F5)Au(I)(mu-2-C6F4PPh2)(kappa2-2-C6F4PPh2)Au(III)(C6F5)] 31, analogous to 25-27. The bis(triflato)digold(II) complex 20 is reduced by methanol or cyclohexanol in CH2Cl2 to a tetranuclear gold(I) complex [Au4(mu-2-C6F4PPh2)4] 21 in which the four carbanions bridge a square array of metal atoms, as shown by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. The corresponding tetramers [Au4(mu-C6H3-n-F-2-PPh2)4] (n = 5 22, 6 23) are formed as minor by-products in the preparation of dimers 3 and 4; the tetramers do not interconvert readily with, and are not in equilibrium with, the corresponding dimers 2-4. Addition of an excess of chlorine or bromine (X2) to the digold(II) complexes 5 and 8, and to their gold(I)-gold(III) isomers 25 and 26, gives isomeric digold(III) complexes [Au2X4(mu-2-C6F4PPh2)2] (X = Cl 39, Br 40) and [X3Au(mu-2-C6F4PPh2)AuX(kappa2-2-C6F4PPh2)] (X = Cl 41, Br 42), respectively. The structures of the digold(I) complexes 2, 4 and 32, the digold(II) complexes 5-11 and 14-18, the gold(I)-gold(III) complexes 19, 25, 35 and 38, the tetragold(I) complexes 21 and 22, and the digold(III) complexes 41 and 42, have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In the digold(II) (5d9-5d9) series, there is a systematic lengthening, and presumably weakening, of the Au-Au distance in the range 2.5012(4)-2.5885(2) A with increasing trans-influence of the axial ligand, in the order X = ONO2 < O2CCF3 < OBz < Cl < Br < I < C6F5. The strength of the Au-Au interaction is probably the main factor that determines whether the digold(II) compounds isomerise to gold(I)-gold(III). The gold-gold separations in the digold(I) and gold(I)-gold(III) complexes are in the range 2.8-3.6 A suggestive of aurophilic interactions, but these are probably absent in the digold(III) compounds (Au...Au separation ca. 5.8 A). Attempted recrystallisation of complex 10 gave a trinuclear gold(II)-gold(II)-gold(I) complex, [Au3Br2(mu-C6H3-6-F-2-PPh2)3] 24, which consists of the expected digold(II) framework in which one of the axial bromide ligands has been replaced by a sigma-carbon bonded (C6H3-6-F-2-PPh2)Au(I)Br fragment.

A Silver(I)–Gold(II) Hexanuclear Guanidinate–Benzoate Cluster with Short Au–Au Bonds

AbstractAttempts to remove the halide atoms from [Au 2 (hpp) 2 Cl 2 ], 1, Hhpp = 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-2H-pyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidine, with Ag(I) benzoate lead to the formation of the Au(I)-Ag(I) product, [(PhCOO) 2 Au 4 (hpp) 4 Ag 2 (PhCOO) 4 ], 2. This material is stable to air and light at room temperature and shows a UV-vis spectrum in THF with absorbances at 575, 440, 345, and 273 nm. The mixed metal product crystallizes as green crystals in the monoclinic space group P2 1 /n. The Au-Au distances of 2.4473(19) A are the shortest gold-gold distances reported to date. The gold···silver distance is 3.344(3) A and the silver···silver distance is 2.771(6) A. This latter distance is short compared with the Ag···Ag distance of 2.902(3) A in the eight-membered silver benzoate dimer starting material. The Au(II) hpp and Ag(I) benzoate components are linked by carboxylate groups and two gold-silver interactions. This result stands in structural contrast to terminal carboxylate products observed with Au(II) ylides and amidinates wherein the carboxylate is not bridging to another metal atom.Index AbstractThree equivalents of silver benzoate react with [Au 2 (hpp) 2 Cl 2 ], 1, Hhpp = 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-2H-pyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidine, to form the gold(II)-silver(I) product, 2, [(PhCOO) 2 Au 4 (hpp) 4 Ag 2 (PhCOO) 4 ]. The gold-gold distance of 2.4473(19) A is the shortest gold-gold distance reported to date. The gold-silver distance is 3.344(3) A and the silver-silver distance is 2.771(6) A.[IMAGE]

Dinuclear and Tetranuclear Gold−Nitrogen Complexes. Solvent Influences on Oxidation and Nuclearity of Gold Guanidinate Derivatives

The sodium salt of the Hhpp ligand, Hhpp = 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-2H-pyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidine, a 6,6 bicyclic, guanidine system, reacts with (THT)AuCl (THT = tetrahydrothiophene) in THF or CH2Cl2 to form the Au(II) complex, [Au2(hpp)2Cl2]. The Au(II) complex forms either by oxidation with solvents such as CH2Cl2 or disproportionation of Au(I) with concomitant Au(0) formation. The reaction in ethanol gives the colorless tetranuclear Au(I) complex, [Au4(hpp)4]. The tbo ligand, Htbo = 1,4,6-triazabicyclo[3.3.0]oct-4-ene a bicyclic 5,5 guanidine system, behaved differently from the hpp ligand, and only the colorless tetranuclear gold complex, [Au4(tbo)4], formed in THF, CH2Cl2, or ethanol. The X-ray structure of the oxidized species, [Au2(hpp)2Cl2], shows a Au(II)-Au(II) distance of 2.4752(9) A, the shortest gold-gold bond reported prior to the characterization here of the [(PhCOO)6Au4(hpp)2Ag2], Au(II)-Au(II) = 2.4473(19) A. A preliminary description of the formation of this material, obtained by reacting [Au2(hpp)2Cl2] with Ag(OOCPh), is included in this paper. The four Au(I) atoms in the tetranuclear complexes are arranged in a parallelogram with Au-Au distances ranging from 2.8975(5)-2.9392(6) A in [Au4(hpp)4] and 3.1139(12)-3.2220(13) A in [Au4(tbo)4]. density functional theory (DFT) and MP2 calculations on [Au2(hpp)2Cl2] find that the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) is predominately hpp and chlorine-based with some Au-Au delta* character. The lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) has metal-to-ligand (M-L) and metal-to-metal (M-M) sigma* character (approximately 50% hpp/chlorine, and 50% gold). DFT calculations on [Au4(hpp)4] show that the HOMO and HOMO-1 are each a mixture of metal-metal antibonding character and metal-ligand antibonding character and that the LUMO is predominately metal based s character (85% Au and 15% hpp).

Oxidative Addition of Small Molecules to a Dinuclear Au(I) Amidinate Complex, Au2[(2,6-Me2Ph)2N2CH]2. Syntheses and Characterization of Au(II) Amidinate Complexes Including One Which Possesses Au(II)−Oxygen Bonds

The dinuclear Au(I) amidinate complex Au2(2,6-Me2Ph-form)2 (1) is isolated in quantitative yield by the reaction of (THT)AuCl and the potassium salt of 2,6-Me2Ph-form in a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio. Various reagents such as Cl2, Br2, I2, CH3I, and benzoyl peroxide add to the dinuclear Au(I)amidinate complex Au2(2,6-Me2Ph-form)2 to form oxidative-addition Au(II) metal-metal-bonded complexes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The Au(II) amidinate complexes are stable as solids at room temperature. The structures of the dinuclear Au2(2,6-Me2Ph-form)2 and the Au(II) oxidative-addition products Au2(2,6-Me2Ph-form)2X2, X=Cl, Br, I, are reported. Crystalline products with an equal amount of oxidized and unoxidized complexes in the same unit cell, [Au2(2,6-Me2Ph-form)2X2][Au2(2,6-Me2Ph-form)2], X=Cl, 2m, or Br, 3m, are isolated and their structures are presented. The structure of [Au2(2,6-Me2Ph-form)2X2][Au2(2,6-Me2Ph-form)2], X=Cl has a Au(II)-Au(II) distance slightly longer, 0.05A, than that observed in the fully oxidized product Au2(2,6-Me2-form)2Cl2, 2. The gold-gold distance in the dinuclear complex decreases upon oxidative addition with halogens from 2.7 to 2.5 A, similar to observations made with the Au(I) dithiolates and ylides. The oxidative addition of benzoyl peroxide leads to the isolation of the first stable dinuclear Au(II) nitrogen complex possessing Au-O bonds, Au2(2,6-Me2Ph-form)2(PhCOO)2, 6, with the shortest Au-Au distance known for Au(II) amidinate complexes, 2.48 A. The structure consists of unidentate benzoate units linked through oxygen to the Au(II) centers. The replacement of the bromide in 3 by chloride, and the benzoate groups in 6 by chloride or bromide also occurs readily. The unit cell dimensions are, for 1, a=7.354(6) A, b=9.661(7) A, c=11.421(10) A, alpha=81.74(5) degrees, beta=71.23(5) degrees, and gamma=86.07(9) degrees (space group P, Z=1), for 2.1.5C6H12, a=11.012(2) A, b=18.464(4) A, c=19.467(4) A, alpha=90 degrees, beta=94.86(3) degrees, and gamma=90 degrees (space group P21/c, Z=4), for 2m.ClCH2CH2Cl, a=16.597(3) A, b=10.606(2) A, c=19.809(3) A, alpha=90 degrees, beta=94.155(6) degrees, and gamma=90 degrees (space group P21/n, Z=2), for 3m, a=16.967(3) A, b=10.783(2) A, c=20.060(4) A, alpha=90 degrees, beta=93.77(3) degrees, and gamma=90 degrees (space group P21/n, Z=2), for 4.THF, a=8.0611(12) A, b=10.956(16) A, c=11.352(17) A, alpha=84.815(2) degrees, beta=78.352(2) degrees, and gamma=88.577(2) degrees (space group P, Z=1), for 5, a=16.688 A, b=10.672(4) A, c=19.953(7) A, alpha=90.00 (6) degrees, beta=94.565(7) degrees, and gamma=90.00 degrees (space group P21/n, Z=4), for 6.0.5C7H8, a=11.160(3) A, b=12.112(3) A, c=12.364(3) A, alpha=115.168(4) degrees, beta=161.112(4) degrees, and gamma=106.253(5) degrees (space group P, Z=1).

X-ray diffraction study of volatile complexes of dimethylgold(III) derived from symmetrical β-diketones

Crystal chemical investigation of volatile dimethylgold(III) β-diketonates of the general formula (CH3)2AuL [L = acetylacetone (acac), dipivalylmethane (dpm), dibenzoylmethane (dbm)] has been carried out for the first time. The synthetic procedure and structural data are reported; differential thermal analysis (DTA) data are given. The structure of the compounds includes monomeric complex molecules arranged as polymeric stack associates. The gold atom has a plane square environment AuO2C2 formed by two oxygen atoms of the bidentate (O,O) ligand and two methyl groups. The geometrical characteristics of the coordination units are the following: in all complexes, the Au-O and Au-CMe bond lengths and O-Au-O chelate angles are 2.070–2.108 A, 1.989–2.034 A, and 89.7-93.7°, respectively. The shortest Au-Au distance (3.475 A) in the stack is observed for the (CH3)2Au(dpm) complex.

Influence of the Metal Substrate on the Adsorption Properties of Thin Oxide Layers: Au Atoms on a Thin Alumina Film on NiAl(110)

Thin oxide films grown on metal substrates are widely used in surface science to model bulk oxides, assuming their chemical and electronic properties to be similar. In some cases, however, this might not be justified as the present scanning tunneling microscopy studies demonstrate for Au atoms on a thin alumina film on NiAl(110). Au atoms were evaporated onto the oxide film at a sample temperature of approximately 10 K. At low coverage, this leads to the formation of one-dimensional clusters with unusually large Au-Au distances of 5.6-6.0 A. A direct interaction between the Au atoms can be excluded, and a substrate-mediated mechanism is supposed instead. This assumption is strengthened by the finding that the Au chains exhibit a preferential orientation: They are almost aligned with the [001] direction of the NiAl(110) substrate, clearly indicating that the metal substrate participates in the binding of the Au atoms.

Synthesis, structures and reactions of cyclometallated gold complexes containing (2-diphenylarsino-n-methyl)phenyl (n = 5, 6)

Reaction of (C6H3-2-AsPh2-n-Me)Li (n = 5 or 6) with [AuBr(AsPh3)] at -78 degrees C gives the corresponding cyclometallated gold(I) complexes [Au2[(mu-C6H3-n-Me)AsPh2]2] [n = 5, (1); n = 6, (9)]. 1 undergoes oxidative addition with halogens and with dibenzoyl peroxide to give digold(II) complexes [Au2X2[(mu-C6H3-5-Me)AsPh2]2] [X = Cl (2a), Br (2b), I (2c) and O2CPh (3)] containing a metal-metal bond between the 5d9 metal centres. Reaction of 2a with AgO2CMe or of 3 with C6F5Li gives the corresponding digold(II) complexes in which X = O2CMe (4) and C6F5 (6), respectively. The Au-Au distances increase in the order 4 < 2a < 2b < 2c < 6, following the covalent binding tendency of the axial ligand. Like the analogous phosphine complexes, 2a-2c and 6 in solution rearrange to form C-C coupled digold(I) complexes [Au2X2[mu-2,2-Ph2As(5,5-Me2C6H3C6H3)AsPh2]] [X = Cl (5a), X = Br (5b), X = I (5c) and C6F5 (7)] in which the gold atoms are linearly coordinated by As and X. In contrast, the products of oxidative additions to 9 depend markedly on the halogens. Reaction of 9 with chlorine gives the gold(I)-gold(III) complex, [ClAu[mu-2-Ph2As(C6H3-6-Me)]AuCl[(6-MeC6H3)-2-AsPh2]-kappa2As,C] (10), which contains a four-membered chelate ring, Ph2As(C6H3-6-Me), in the coordination sphere of the gold(III) atom. When 10 is heated, the ring is cleaved, the product being the digold(I) complex [ClAu[mu-2-Ph2As(C6H3-6-Me)]Au[AsPh2(2-Cl-3-Me-C6H3)]] (11). Reaction of 9 with bromine at 50 degrees C gives a monobromo digold(I) complex (12), which is similar to 11 except that the 2-position of the substituted aromatic ring bears hydrogen instead halogen. Reaction of 9 with iodine gives a mixture of a free tertiary arsine, (2-I-3-MeC6H3)AsPh2 (13), a digold diiodo compound (14) analogous to 11, and a gold(I)-gold(III) zwitterionic complex [I2Au(III)[(mu-C6H3-2-AsPh2-6-Me)]2Au(I)] (15) in which the bridging units are arranged head-to-head between the metal atoms. The structures of 2a-2c and 4-15 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The different behaviour of 1 and 9 toward halogens mirrors that of their phosphine analogues; the 6-methyl substituent blocks C-C coupling of the aryl residues in the initially formed oxidative addition product. In the case of 9, the greater lability of the Au-As bond in the initial oxidative addition product may account for the more complex behaviour of this system compared with that of its phosphine analogue.

Local Structure of Ag/Au Core/shell Nano-Particles Studied by XAFS

We have measured Ag K- and Au LIII-edge EXAFS (extended x-ray absorption fine structure) for Ag/Au core/shell particles. The structural parameters were obtained from EXAFS curve-fitting analyses and were discussed in comparison to the structure estimated from TEM (transmission electron microscope) analyses. The thickness of the shell and diameter of the core can be evaluated from EXAFS that are fairly consistent with the results estimated from TEM. From EXAFS two-shell model analyses the Ag-Ag distance decreases and Au-Au distance increases in the thinner shell. This result suggests that the electrons transfer from Ag atom to Au atom at the interface between core and shell atom. [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2006.138]

Computer simulations in the study of gold nanowires: the effect of impurities

Suspended gold nanowires have recently been made in an ultra-high vacuum ambient and were imaged by electron microscopy. Two puzzles were presented: one atom thick wires are produced and some of the atomic distances between these atoms before their breaking were too large. Simulations using realistic molecular dynamics method were able to unveil some processes to explain the mechanisms of formation, evolution, and breaking of these atomically thin Au nanowires under stress. The calculations showed how defects induce the formation of constrictions that eventually will form the one-atom chains. Atomically thin chains, five atoms long were obtained, before breaking. The results were in excellent agreement with experimental results except for the large Au-Au distances. In fact no theoretical calculation of pure gold nanowires have been able to produce such large distances. Light impurities that cannot be imaged in these experiments may be responsible for these large Au-Au distances. Using ab initio total energy calculations based on the density functional theory, we have studied the effect of H, C, O, N, B, S, CH, CH2, and H2 impurities on the nanowire’s electronic and structural properties, in particular how they affect the rupture of the nanowire. We find that the impurities tend to locally increase the nanowire’s strength, in such a way that its rupture always occurs at an Au-Au bond and never at an Au-X bond (X being an impurity). In particular, oxygen seems to form very stable bonds that may be used to pull longer Au chains. Regarding the observed large Au-Au bond lengths, it was found, based on quasi-static calculations, that the best candidate to explain the large distances is H. However, some particular experimental conditions may lead to different results.

The Interaction of 1,1‘-Diisocyanoferrocene with Gold: Formation of Monolayers and Supramolecular Polymerization of an Aurophilic Ferrocenophane

The coordination chemistry of 1,1'-diisocyanoferrocene (1) was investigated. Its reaction with Cr(CO)5(THF) (2 equiv) affords (1)[Cr(CO)5]2, which exhibits eclipsed cyclopentadienyl rings with a synclinal arrangement of the two substituents. 1 behaves like an aryl isocyanide in this compound according to IR spectroscopic data, and its oxidation leads to a marked decrease of net electron donor ability. The reaction of 1 with AuCl(SMe2) affords the insoluble coordination polymer [(1)(AuCl)2]infinity. The (1)(AuCl)2 molecules adopt a 3,4-diaura-[6]ferrocenophane structure. They are aggregated in a zipperlike fashion through aurophilic interactions, with Au-Au distances ranging from 3.34 to 3.48 A. The adsorption of 1 from acetonitrile solution on polycrystalline gold affords a self-assembled monolayer. Both isocyanide groups are binding to the surface.

Gold-Thiolate Clusters: A Relativistic Density Functional Study of the Model Species Au13(SR)n, R = H, CH3, n = 4, 6, 8

Abstract The binding of sulfanyl and alkylsulfanyl model ligands to gold clusters was studied for the case of Au13(SR)n with R = H, CH3 and n = 4, 6, 8. Accurate all-electron electronic structure calculations and geometry optimizations of these gold-thiolate clusters have been performed with a scalar relativistic Kohn-Sham procedure as implemented in the density functional program PARAGAUSS. In all structures obtained, bridge coordination was preferred for both types of ligands; no higher coordinated sites where occupied. While in many cases ligand decoration did not change the overall structure of the Au13 core, also more open structures with Au-Au distances elongated beyond the bulk value have been obtained. The effects due to increasing ligand decoration were small: a small decrease of the binding energy per ligand does not exclude higher ligand coverages. The differences between the model ligands SH and SCH3 were consistent in all cases considered: SCH3 exhibits weaker binding and a slightly smaller charge separation between cluster core and ligand shell, which amounts up to about 1.5 e for 8 ligands. Overall, the Au13 core of the clusters was found to be quite flexible. This can be rationalized by the fact that the calculated binding energy per ligand is comparable or even exceeds the binding energy per atom in Au13.

Observation of Au2H− impurity in pure gold clusters and implications for the anomalous Au-Au distances in gold nanowires

Au(2)H(-) was recognized and confirmed as a minor contamination to typical photoelectron spectra of Au(2) (-), produced by laser vaporization of a pure Au target using an ultrahigh purity helium carrier gas. The hydrogen source was shown to be from trace H impurities present in the bulk gold target. Carefully designed experiments using H(2)- and D(2)-seeded helium carrier gas were used to study the electronic structure of Au(2)H(-) and Au(2)D(-) using photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional calculations. Well-resolved photoelectron spectra with vibrational resolution were obtained for Au(2)H(-) and Au(2)D(-). Two isomers were observed both experimentally and theoretically. The ground state of Au(2)H(-) turned out to be linear with a terminal H atom [Au-Au-H](-) ((1)A(1),C(infinity v)), whereas a linear [Au-H-Au](-) ((1)A(1),D(infinity h)) structure with a bridging H atom was found to be a minor isomer 0.6 eV higher in energy. Calculated electron detachment energies for both isomers agree well with the experimental spectra, confirming their existence in the cluster beam. The observation and confirmation of H impurity in pure gold clusters and the 3.44 A Au-Au distance in the [Au-H-Au](-) isomer presented in the current work provide indirect experimental evidence that the anomalous 3.6 A Au-Au distances observed in gold nanowires is due to an "invisible" hydrogen impurity atom.

Some Recent Highlights in Gold Chemistry

AbstractFor Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text.

Emission energy correlates with inverse of gold-gold distance for various [Au(SCN)2]- salts.

A series of bis(thiocyanato)gold(I) complexes with Au-Au interactions show luminescence in the range from 500 to 670 nm. The series of salts correlates emission energy with the reciprocal of the Au-Au distance. As the Au-Au distance increases, the emission energy decreases. The ligand system provides no framework for the Au-Au interaction. The emission energy seems totally determined by the Au-Au distance.