Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Identification of Olfactory Volatiles using Gas Chromatography-Multi-unit Recordings (GCMR) in the Insect Antennal Lobe
Published on: February 24, 2013
Sigma aromaticity of the bimetallic Au5Zn+ cluster
Hiromasa Tanaka1, Sven Neukermans, Ewald Janssens
1Laboratorium voor Vaste-Stoffysica en Magnetisme, Departement Natuurkunde en Sterrenkunde, K.U.Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
Abstract:
Experimental and theoretical evidence for a "sigma aromatic" bimetallic cluster is presented. A mass spectrometric analysis of AuNZn+ (N = 2-44) photofragments shows Au5Zn+ to be very abundant, proving its high stability. Calculations predict that Au5Zn+ has a planar geometry and six valence s electrons occupying delocalized sigma-bonded molecular orbitals in a manner similar to that of aromatic organic compounds, except for their nodal properties in the molecular plane. The delocalized sigma electrons provide diamagnetic ring currents, suggesting Au5Zn+ is aromatic.

