Gold nanoparticles have been used for centuries, both for decoration and in medical applications. More recently, many of the major advances in cluster chemistry have involved welldefined clusters containing tens or hundreds of atoms, either with or without a ligand shell. In this paper we report the synthesis of two gold/lead clusters, [Au 8 Pb 33 ] 6− and [Au 12 Pb 44 ] 8− , both of which contain nido [Au@Pb 11 ] 3− icosahedra surrounding a core of Au atoms. Analogues of these large clusters are not found in the corresponding Ag chemistry: instead, the Ag-centered nido icosahedron, [Ag@Pb 11 ] 3− , is the only isolated product. The structural chemistry, along with the mass spectrometry which shows the existence of [Au 2 Pb 11 ] 2− but not [Ag 2 Pb 11 ] 2− , leads us to propose that the former species is the key intermediate in the growth of the larger clusters. Density functional theory indicates that secondary π-type interactions between the [Au@Pb 11 ] 3− ligands and the gold core play a significant part in stabilizing the larger clusters.

We report the synthesis of two new cluster anions [Cu4@E18] 4-(E = Sn, Pb), in which a Cu4 subunit is incorporated into a continuous E18 tetrel cage. Both anions are characterized by X-ray crystallography and mass spectrometry, complemented by quantum chemical calculations which highlight the relationships to known Zintl clusters including the stannaspherenes and plumbaspherenes, [M@Sn12] qand [M@Pb12] q-, the Matryoshka bronze [Sn@Cu12@Sn20] 12and also [Pd2@E'18] 4-(E' = Ge, Sn). Figure 5. Comparison of the structures and frontier Kohn-Sham orbitals of D2h-symmetric [Cu2@Sn18] 6and D3d-symmetric [Cu2@Sn18] 2viewed down the conserved C2 axis. The middle of the HOMO-LUMO gap is taken as the zero of energy for all three clusters.ASSOCIATED CONTENT Supporting Information. The detailed experimental procedures, crystallographic supplementation, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopic analysis, and quantum chemical studies.

The chemical bonding of Zintl clusters is stilla n evolving and hot topic in modern chemistry.I nt his paper we synthesized an ovel [K([2.2.2]crypt)] 4 [In 8 Bi 13 ]c omplex in a condensed phase. The quantum chemical calculations and X-ray data revealed that the compound consists of the 1:1 mixture of [Bi@In 8 Bi 12 ] 3À and [Bi@In 8 Bi 12 ] 5À clusters. To the date, those clusters are the largest binary clusters composed of In and Bi elements. Herein, we introduce as pherical aro-matic description of chemical bonding for such clusters. We show through AdNDP,E LF,a nd induced magnetic field and quantitative NICS analyzes that both clusters are spherically aromatic which explains their high symmetry,s tability, and peculiar magnetic properties. We believe that this work will help researchers in the furtherd evelopment and understandingo fchemical bondingi nZ intl clusters.[ + + ] These authors contributed equally to this work.Supporting information and the ORCID identification number(s) for the author(s) of this article can be found under: https://doi.

The [Nb@As8]3– anion was first isolated from solution in 1986, and a number of isostructural [M@Pn8] n− clusters (M = Nb, Cr, or Mo; Pn = As or Sb; n = 2 or 3) have since been reported. We show here how anions of this class can be used as synthetic precursors that, in combination with sources of low-valent late transition metals (Cu and Ag), generate ternary polyarsenide cluster anions with unprecedented structural motifs. Chain type [MM′As16]4– (M = Nb or Ta; M′ = Cu or Ag) units are found in compounds 2–5. These clusters contain a nortricyclane-like As7 cage and a [M@As8] crown, linked by a single As atom, and represent a fusion of two quite distinct branches of polyarsenide chemistry. Our analysis of the electronic structure confirms that the cluster retains many of the features of the component units. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry reveals a series of smaller component ions containing 8–12 As atoms, the density functional theory-computed structures of which can be understood in terms of the pseudoelement concept. This work not only presents a new type of coordination mode for As clusters but also offers a point of entry for the rational design of multinary arsenic-based materials.

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to study the stabilities, electronic structures, and vibrational and bonding properties of dianionic pentacarbonyls [TM(CO)5]2- (TM = Cr, Mo, W). A D3h symmetry...