Pt₁₂H₂₄ ^-: A Cuboctahedral Platinum Hydride Cluster Cage

Area of Science:

• * Inorganic Chemistry
• * Physical Chemistry
• * Computational Chemistry

Background:

• * Platinum hydride clusters are of interest due to their unique bonding and electronic properties.
• * Understanding the structural and electronic characteristics of these clusters is crucial for catalysis and materials science.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To determine the stable structure of the platinum hydride cluster Pt12H24- in the gas phase.
• * To investigate the nature of bonding and electronic properties, including aromaticity, within this cluster.

Main Methods:

• * Gas-phase study using trapped ion electron diffraction (TIED).
• * Theoretical calculations employing density functional theory (DFT).

Main Results:

• * Identification of a cuboctahedral platinum cage structure for Pt12H24-.
• * Observation of bridge-bound hydrogen atoms coordinated to the platinum cage.
• * Evidence for stabilization through Pt-H-Pt multicenter bonding.
• * Indication of spherical aromaticity in the cluster's electronic structure.

Conclusions:

• * The cuboctahedral Pt12H24- cluster represents a novel structural motif in platinum hydride chemistry.
• * Multicenter bonding plays a key role in stabilizing this unusual cluster.
• * The observed spherical aromaticity suggests unique electronic delocalization within the cluster.