A Manganese Nanosheet: New Cluster Topology and Catalysis

While the coordination chemistry of monometallic complexes and the surface characteristics of larger metal particles are well understood, preparations of molecular metallic nanoclusters remain a great challenge. Discrete planar metal clusters constitute nanoscale snapshots of cluster growth but are especially rare owing to the strong preference for three-dimensional structures and rapid aggregation or decomposition. A simple ligand-exchange procedure has led to the formation of a novel heteroleptic Mn₆ nanocluster that crystallized in an unprecedented flat-chair topology and exhibited unique magnetic and catalytic properties. Magnetic susceptibility studies documented strong electronic communication between the manganese ions. Reductive activation of the molecular Mn₆ cluster enabled catalytic hydrogenations of alkenes, alkynes, and imines.