Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026

A Rapid and Quantitative Fluorimetric Method for Protein-Targeting Small Molecule Drug Screening
Published on: October 16, 2015
Gold-caged metal clusters with large HOMO-LUMO gap and high electron affinity
Yi Gao1, Satya Bulusu, Xiao Cheng Zeng
1Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA.
Abstract:
We report a series of isoelectronic gold-caged metal clusters, M@Au14 (M = Zr, Hf), and anion clusters, M@Au14- (M = Sc, Y), all having a calculated HOMO-LUMO gap larger than the well-known tetrahedral cluster Au20-the 3D metal cluster with a very large measured HOMO-LUMO gap (1.77 eV). The clusters M@Au14 (M = Sc, Y) also exhibit a calculated electron affinity (EA) and vertical detachment energy (VDE) not only higher than the "superhalogen" icosahedral Al13 cluster but also possibly even higher than a Cl atom which has the highest (measured) elemental EA or VDE (3.61 eV).
Related Concept Videos
Periodic Classification of the Elements
Bonding in Metals
Metallic Solids
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...
Properties of Transition Metals
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.
Complexation Equilibria: Factors Influencing Stability of Complexes

