Johnson Solids: Anion-Templated Silver Thiolate Clusters Capped by Sulfonate

Trapping an octahedral Ag6 kernel in a seven-fold symmetric Ag56 nanowheel

High-nuclearity silver clusters are appealing synthetic targets for their remarkable structures, but most are isolated serendipitously. We report here six giant silver-thiolate clusters mediated by solvents, which not only dictate the formation of an octahedral Ag₆⁴⁺ kernel, but also influence the in situ-generated Mo-based anion templates. The typical sevenfold symmetric silver nanowheels show a hierarchical cluster-in-cluster structure that comprises an outermost Ag₅₆ shell and an inner Ag₆⁴⁺ kernel in the centre with seven MoO₄^2- anion templates around it. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analyses reveal the underlying rule for the formation of such unique silver nanowheels. This work establishes a solvent-intervention approach to construct high-nuclearity silver clusters in which both the formation of octahedral Ag₆⁴⁺ kernel and in situ generation of various Mo-based anion templates can be simultaneously controlled.

A giant 90-nucleus silver cluster templated by hetero-anions

A giant 90-nucleus silver cluster templated by hetero-anions was isolated and characterized.

High-nuclearity silver ethynide clusters containing polynucleating oxygen donor ligands

Three high-nuclearity heterometallic ethynide clusters were constructed with various polynucleating oxygen donor ligands.

Silver ethynide clusters constructed with fluorinated β-diketonate ligands

Phosphonate can act as the intermediate connector to link two silver ethynide clusters functionalized by hfac ligands together to enlarge the silver cluster.