A Face-to-Face Dimer of Au Superatoms Supported by Interlocked Tridentate Scaffolds Formed in Au S (SR).

A new sulfur-containing gold cluster, Au S (STipb) , was serendipitously obtained using the bulky thiol, 2,4,6-triisopropylbenzyl mercaptan (TipbSH), as protecting ligands. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that Au S (STipb) has a deformed octahedral Au core clutched by two tridentate S[Au (STipb) ] units in an interlocked manner. Based on density functional theory calculations, we propose that the Au core with two electrons is better viewed as a face-to-face dimer of Au (1e) superatoms rather than an electronically closed Au (2e) superatom.

Quantitative Analysis of the Self-Assembly Process of a Pd L Coordination Sphere.

The self-assembly process of a Pd L sphere was revealed by a quantitative approach (quantitative analysis of self-assembly process: QASAP) quantifying all the substrates, the products, and the observable intermediates, indicating that the Pd L sphere is produced through several pathways. Firstly, Pd L (n=6, 8, and 9), which are perfectly closed structures smaller than the Pd L sphere, and a mixture of intermediates not observed by NMR (Int) were produced. Next, the sphere was assembled from intra-/intermolecular reaction of a certain class of Int (path A) and from the coordination of free pyridyl groups in Int to the Pd center of Pd L (n=6, 8, and 9) (path B).