Dinuclear N-heterocyclic dicarbene gold(I) complexes of general formula [Au(2)(RIm-Y-ImR)(2)](PF(6))(2) (R = Me, Cy; Y = (CH(2))(1-4), o-xylylene, m-xylylene) have been synthesized and screened for their luminescence properties. All the complexes are weakly emissive in solution whereas in the solid state some of them show significant luminescence intensities. In particular, crystals or powders of the complex with R = Me, Y = (CH(2))(3) exhibit an intense blue emission (λ(max) = 450 nm) with a high quantum yield (Φ(em) = 0.96). The X-ray crystal structure of this complex is characterized by a rather short intramolecular Au···Au distance (3.272 Ǻ). Time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations have been used to calculate the UV/vis properties of the ground state as well as of the first excited state of the complex, the latter featuring a significantly shorter Au···Au distance.

Four novel dinuclear N-heterocyclic dicarbene gold(I) complexes with a propylene linker between the carbene moieties have been synthesized and their luminescence and electrochemical properties, together with their reactivity towards bromine oxidative addition, have been screened. All the complexes emit in the solid state in the blue-green spectral range (400-500 nm) with appreciable intensities (Φ(em) up to ≈10%). In cyclic voltammetry, the Au(I)/Au(0) peak splits at low temperature into two separate peaks relative to the couples Au(I)-Au(I)/Au(I)-Au(0) and Au(I)-Au(0)/Au(0)-Au(0), thus indicating the presence of an Au···Au interaction in the dinuclear complex. Oxidative addition of bromine affords as a major or unique product Au(II)-Au(II) complexes most likely as a consequence of the interaction between the two gold centres favoured by the propylene linker.

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A series of dinuclear N-heterocyclic bis-dicarbene gold(III) complexes of the general formula [Au2Br4(RIm-Y-ImR)2](PF6)2 (Im = imidazol-2-ylidene; 1b, R = Me, Y = CH2; 2b, R = Me, Y = (CH2)2; 3b, R = Me, Y = (CH2)3; 4b, R = Me, Y = (CH2)4; 5b, R = Cy, Y = CH2; 6b, R = Me, Y = m-xylylene) were successfully synthesized by oxidative addition of bromine to the corresponding dicarbene gold(I) complexes 1a–6a. The stability of the digold(III) complexes depends on the length of the bridge Y between the carbene units. The complex with Y = CH2 undergoes a partial reductive elimination, giving the first example of the mixed-valence gold(I)/gold(III) dinuclear bis-dicarbene complex 1c, together with a minor quantity of the neutral digold(III) mono-dicarbene complex [Au2Br6(MeIm-CH2-ImMe)] (1d). The X-ray crystal structures of complexes 1c,d, 3b, and 6b were determined. Besides complex 3b, the addition of bromine to complex 3a gives complex 3b′, a coordination metallopolymer, formed by an infinite chain of AuBr2 units bridged by the dicarbene ligand.

Carbon dioxide reduction into useful chemical products is a key technology to address urgent climate and energy challenges. In this study, a nanohybrid made by Co3O4 and graphene is proposed as an efficient electrocatalyst for the selective reduction of CO2 to formate at low overpotential. A comparison between samples with different metal oxide to carbon ratios and with or without doping of the graphene moiety indicates that the most active catalyst is formed by highly dispersed and crystalline nanocubes exposing {001} oriented surfaces, whereas the nitrogen doping is critical to obtain a controlled morphology and to facilitate a topotactic transformation during electrocatalytic conditions to CoO, which results in the true active phase. The nanohybrid made up by intermediate loading of Co3O4 supported on nitrogen-doped graphene is the most active catalyst, being able to produce 3.14 mmol of formate in 8 h at −0.95 V vs SCE with a Faradaic efficiency of 83%.