Brass has been known to man since prehistoric times; now scientists in Germany have isolated the first molecular example of the copper–zinc alloy.The chemistry of solid state alloys is well established, yet understanding why different alloys possess particular properties is a greater challenge. Using a bottom-up approach, scientists aim to build intermetallic materials from the smallest available components, and identify boundaries where molecular properties meet bulk material properties. Constructing molecular clusters which mimic such materials is a step in this direction, providing fundamental insights into the chemical bonding of the target materials.
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Molecular brass: Cu4Zn4, a ligand protected superatom cluster
Kerstin Freitag, Hung Banh, Christian Gemel, Rüdiger W. Seidel, Samia Kahlal, Jean-Yves Saillard and Roland A. Fischer
Chem. Commun., 2014, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C4CC03401E, Communication
