Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

Synthesis of Near-Infrared Emitting Gold Nanoclusters for Biological Applications
Published on: March 22, 2020
On the structure of the thiolated Au15 cluster
Alfredo Tlahuice-Flores1, Miguel Jose-Yacamán, Robert L Whetten
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA. tlahuicef@gmail.com.
Abstract:
The structure of the Au15-thiolate cluster has been elucidated using a DFT approach, and it is demonstrated to comprise a Au4-tetrahedron core protected solely by the combination of two concatenated staple motifs. The longer motif efficiently wraps the core, and threads the shorter one. The structural assignment is supported by comparison to the powder X-ray diffraction pattern and, via time dependent-DFT calculations, to the optical and chiroptical (CD) absorption spectra. The calculated CD spectrum features a characteristic strong peak centered at 3.48 eV in accordance with the experimental profile. These results confirm the existence of long Au(I)-thiolate motifs as protecting units of small thiolated gold clusters with a thiolate-to-gold ratio comparable to the Au15(SR)13 cluster.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Structure and Nomenclature of Thiols and Sulfides
Preparation and Reactions of Thiols
Structure of Amines
Electrophilic Addition to Alkynes: Halogenation
Halogenation is another class of electrophilic addition reactions where a halogen molecule gets added across a π bond. In alkynes, the presence of two π bonds allows for the addition of two equivalents of halogens (bromine or chlorine). The addition of the first halogen molecule forms a trans-dihaloalkene as the major product and the cis isomer as the minor product. Subsequent addition of the second equivalent yields the tetrahalide.

