Complexes with Atomic Gold Ions : Efficient Bis-Ligand Formation

• Complexes of atomic gold with a variety of ligands have been formed by passing helium nanodroplets (HNDs) through two pickup cells containing gold vapor and the vapor of another dopant, namely a rare gas, a diatomic molecule (H-2, N-2, O-2, I-2, P-2), or various polyatomic molecules (H2O, CO2, SF6, C6H6, adamantane, imidazole, dicyclopentadiene, and fullerene). The doped HNDs were irradiated by electrons; ensuing cations were identified in a high-resolution mass spectrometer. Anions were detected for benzene, dicyclopentadiene, and fullerene. For most ligands L, the abundance distribution of AuLn+ versus size n displays a remarkable enhancement at n = 2. The propensity towards bis-ligand formation is attributed to the formation of covalent bonds in Au+L2 which adopt a dumbbell structure, L-Au+-L, as previously found for L = Xe and C-60. Another interesting observation is the effect of gold on the degree of ionization-induced intramolecular fragmentation. For most systems gold enhances the fragmentation, i.e., intramolecular fragmentation in AuLn+ is larger than in pure L-n(+). Hydrogen, on the other hand, behaves differently, as intramolecular fragmentation in Au(H-2)(n)(+) is weaker than in pure (H-2)(n)(+) by an order of magnitude.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

gold complexes

clusters

ligands

mass spectrometry

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