Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026

Synthesis of Near-Infrared Emitting Gold Nanoclusters for Biological Applications
Published on: March 22, 2020
Highly emissive dinuclear complexes [Au2{μ-(PPh2)2C2B9H10}(C6F5)(PR3)] with different gold fragments coordinated to
Olga Crespo1, César Díez-Gil, M Concepción Gimeno
1Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Instituto de Síntesis Química y Catálisis Homogénea (ISQCH), Universidad de Zaragoza-CSIC, Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain.
Abstract:
Reaction of the yellow-green emitters [Au{(PPh(2))(2)C(2)B(9)H(10)}(PR(3))] with [Au(C(6)F(5))(tht)] affords orange-red emissive gold complexes [Au(2){μ-(PPh(2))(2)C(2)B(9)H(10)}(C(6)F(5))(PR(3))] which contain different neutral (PR(3)) and anionic (C(6)F(5)) auxiliary ligands and an anionic diphosphine. The resulting complexes are among the few reported in which an ortho-carborane diphosphine acts in a bridging mode, and are unique in containing not a closo- (neutral), but a nido-carborane (anionic) cluster. DFT and TDDFT calculations led to the prediction of the origin of the two first singlet-triplet transitions, which is consistent with the experimental results. Although the blue emissive nido-diphosphine plays a key role in the transitions of the three-coordinate precursors and the final dinuclear complexes, it is the environment around the gold centre that controls the emission energy.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Metal-Ligand Bonds
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
Coordination Number and Geometry
Valence Bond Theory
EDTA: Chemistry and Properties
Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect
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.

