A New Crystal Structure of Au₃₆ with a Au₁₄ Kernel Cocapped by Thiolate and Chloride

Abstract

This study presents a new crystal structure of a gold nanocluster coprotected by thiolate and chloride, with the formula of Au36(SCH2Ph-(t)Bu)8Cl20. This nanocluster is composed of a Au14 core with two Cl atoms, a pair of pentameric Au5(SCl5) staple motifs, and a pair of hexameric Au6(S3Cl4) motifs. It is noteworthy that the "Au-Cl-Au" staple motifs are observed for the first time in thiolate protected gold nanoclusters. More importantly, the formation of the Cl-Au3 motifs is found to be mainly responsible for the configuration of the gold nanocluster. This work will offer a new perspective to understand how the ligands affect the crystal structure of gold nanocluster.