Kernel Homology in Gold Nanoclusters

摘要

Homology is well known in organic chemistry; however, it has not yet been reported in nanochemistry. Herein, we introduce the concept of kernel homology to describe the phenomenon of metal nanoclusters sharing the same "functional group" in kernels with some similar properties. To illustrate this point, we synthesized two novel gold nanoclusters, Au-44(TBBT)(26) and Au-48(TBBT)(28) (TBBTH = 4-tert-butylbenzenethiol), and solved their total structures by X-ray crystallography, which reveals that they have the same Au-23 bi-icosahedron capped with a similar bottom cap (Au-6 and Au-8, respectively) in the kernels. The two novel gold nanoclusters, together with the existing Au-38(PET)(24) nanocluster (PETH= phenylethanethiol), have the same "functional group"-Au-23-in their kernels and have some similar properties (e.g., electrochemical properties); therefore, they are comparable to the homologues in organic chemistry.