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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 18, 2026

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates

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Published on: February 15, 2016

Building Diatomic and Triatomic Superatom Molecules.

Anouck M Champsaur¹, Alexandra Velian¹, Daniel W Paley¹

¹Department of Chemistry, Columbia University , New York, New York 10027 United States.

|July 14, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers created novel cobalt-selenium (Co6Se8) superatoms by programming metal-ligand bonds. These superatoms can be linked to form diatomic and triatomic molecules with tunable properties and rich electrochemistry.

Keywords:

Superatoms nanoscale atoms nanoscale building blocks superatom molecules

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Area of Science:

Inorganic Chemistry
Materials Science
Nanotechnology

Background:

Superatoms are nanoscale building blocks with unique properties.
Controlling metal-ligand bonds is crucial for designing functional superatoms.
Existing methods often lack control over substitution patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a facile method for synthesizing differentially substituted Co6Se8 superatoms.
To demonstrate the programmability of metal-ligand bonds in superatoms.
To explore the formation and properties of superatom molecules.

Main Methods:

Synthesis of Co6Se8 superatoms using cobalt carbonyl and phosphines with excess selenium.
Quantitative ligand exchange reactions to substitute carbonyl groups with phosphines and isonitriles.
Electrochemical characterization of superatom molecules.

Main Results:

Successfully synthesized Co6Se8 superatoms with programmable metal-ligand bonds (Co6Se8(CO)x(PR3)(6-x)).
Demonstrated quantitative exchange of CO ligands for phosphines and isonitriles.
Formed diatomic and linear triatomic superatom molecules by linking Co6Se8 units.
Observed rich electrochemical profiles in the resulting superatom molecules.

Conclusions:

A versatile method for creating tunable Co6Se8 superatoms and molecules has been established.
Superatom molecules offer a new platform for exploring novel collective properties.
This work paves the way for a new family of functional superatom-based materials.