Synthesis of nanometer-sized particles with new physical properties is an area of tremendous interest. In metal particles, the changes in size modify the electron density in the particles, which shifts the plasmon band. The most significant size effects occur when the particles are ultrafine (size is <10 nm). Thus the synthesis of ultrafine metal particles is enormously important to exploit their unique and selective application. Here we report a novel method for the synthesis of ultrafine gold particles in the size range of 0.5–3 nm using dopamine hydrochloride (dhc), an important neurotransmitter. This is the first time where such an important bioactive molecule like dhc has been used as a reagent for the transformation of Au(III) to Au(0). The synthesis is carried out, for the first time, either in simple aqueous or in a nonionic micellar (for example Triton X-100 (TX-100)) medium. The gold sol has a beautiful yellow–brown color showing λ_(max) at 470 nm. The appearance of the absorption peak at substantially shorter wavelength (usually gold sol absorbs at ～520 nm) indicates that the particles are very small. The method discussed here is very simple, reproducible and does not involve any reagent, which contains 'P' or 'S' atoms. Also in this case no polymer or dendrimer or thiol-related stabilizer is used. The effects of different parameters (such as the presence or absence of O_2, temperature, TX-100 concentration and dhc concentration) on the formation of ultrafine gold particles are discussed. The effects of 3-mercapto propionic acid and pyridine on the ultrafine gold sol are also studied and compared with those on photochemically prepared gold sol. It is observed that 3-mercapto propionic acid dampens the plasmon absorption at 470 nm of ultrafine gold particles. Pyridine, on the other hand, has no effect on the particles.
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