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Updated: Jan 12, 2026

Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by CopperI-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units
Published on: September 18, 2016
All-Nido-Carborane-Protected Copper Clusters
Xuan-Hui Zhao1, Jie Wang1, Yubing Si1
1Henan Key Laboratory of Crystalline Molecular Functional Materials, College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
Abstract:
Peripheral ligands of metal nanoclusters play a crucial role in determining their structures and modulating their physicochemical properties. Therefore, expanding the diversity of ligands is of paramount importance for advancing metal cluster science. In this work, we report for the first time the synthesis and characterization of two all-nido-carborane-protected copper nanoclusters: an octahedral [Cu6(C2B9H11)4](Et4N)2 (Cu6) and an icosahedral [Cu13(C2B9H11)6](Et4N)3 (Cu13) (Et4N = tetraethylammonium). As confirmed by ESI-MS and time-dependent UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, Cu6 undergoes spontaneous transformation into Cu13 in acetone solution. Theoretical computations reveal that the superatomic cluster Cu13 possesses an open-shell electronic structure of 1S21P2. Moreover, Cu13 solution exhibits prominent near-infrared luminescence at 880 nm and demonstrates superior performance in bioimaging with 4T1 cells, showcasing significant potential for biomedical applications. This study not only enriches the ligand library for metal clusters but also provides new impetus for the exploration of carborane chemistry.
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