Chemical Science Blog

Teams from Germany, the US and Finland have re-investigated the structure of a famous gold-phosphine-halide compound.

The ‘‘Schmid Au55’’ cluster, originally formulated as Au₅₅(PPh₃)₁₂Cl₆, is one of the first and probably most utilised gold nanoparticles. However, the team found that the most energetically favourable anion is
[Au₆₉(PR₃)₂₀Cl₁₂]^-1. It is energetically and chemically superior to the standard models based on Au₅₅(PR₃)₁₂X₆.

Download the Chemical Science Edge article to find out more.