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Aurophilicity in gold(I) thiosemicarbazone clusters
Alfonso Castiñeiras1, Rosa Pedrido
1Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Facultade de Farmacia, Campus Vida, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain.
Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
|November 25, 2011
Summary
New gold(I) thiosemicarbazone clusters exhibit aurophilicity and luminescence. Researchers synthesized and structurally characterized novel gold clusters, revealing unique gold-gold interactions and promising photoluminescent properties.
Area of Science:
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Coordination Chemistry
Background:
- Phosphine thiosemicarbazone ligands are versatile building blocks in coordination chemistry.
- Gold(I) complexes are known for their diverse structural motifs and interesting properties.
- Aurophilicity, the attractive interaction between gold(I) centers, plays a crucial role in the assembly of gold clusters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel gold(I) thiosemicarbazone clusters.
- To investigate the structural features, including aurophilicity, of these gold complexes.
- To evaluate the luminescent properties of the synthesized gold clusters.
Main Methods:
- Reaction of phosphine thiosemicarbazone ligands (HLPH and HLPMe) with gold(I) ions.
- X-ray diffraction analysis for structural determination of the gold complexes.
- Photoluminescence spectroscopy to assess emission properties in solution.
Main Results:
- Synthesis of two distinct gold(I) thiosemicarbazone clusters: a trinuclear complex [Au(3)(HLPH)(2)Cl(2)]Cl·xMeOH (1) and a tetranuclear complex [Au(2)(HLPMe)Cl(2)](2) (2).
- Structural elucidation revealed the first examples of gold(I) thiosemicarbazone clusters showcasing significant aurophilicity.
- Complex 1 features a linear trinuclear cluster with 2D zigzag arrangement driven by gold-gold interactions, while complex 2 forms tetranuclear units through similar interactions.
- Both synthesized gold clusters demonstrated high luminescence in solution.
Conclusions:
- The study presents the first structurally characterized gold(I) thiosemicarbazone clusters exhibiting aurophilicity.
- The observed gold-gold interactions are key to the formation of unique cluster architectures.
- The high luminescence of these novel gold clusters suggests potential applications in areas requiring photoluminescent materials.
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