Mesoionic carbene-based self-assembled monolayers on gold.

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) have been widely studied as ligands for surface chemistry, and have shown advantages compared to existing ligands ( thiols). Herein, we introduce mesoionic carbenes (MICs) as a new type of surface ligand. MICs exhibit higher σ-donor ability compared to typical NHCs, yet they have received little attention in the area of surface chemistry.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Stabilized Hydrido Au Nanoclusters: Synthesis, Structure, and Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO.

Atomically precise hydrido gold nanoclusters are extremely rare but interesting due to their potential applications in catalysis. By optimization of molecular precursors, we have prepared an unprecedented N-heterocyclic carbene-stabilized hydrido gold nanocluster, [Au(NHC)ClH]. This cluster comprises a dimer of two Au kernels, each adopting an icosahedral shape with one missing vertex.