Ligand Dissociation and Core Fission from Diphosphine Protected Gold Clusters

Published

May 19, 2007

Author(s)

Denis E. Bergeron, Jeffrey W. Hudgens

Abstract

Highly monodisperse samples of diphosphine ligand (1,3-Bis(diphenylphosphino)propane or 1,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)pentane) protected gold nanoparticles form rapidly in a mixed methanol/chloroform solvent environment. Methanol soluble octagold, decagold, and undecagold monolayer protected clusters yield very stable ion currents when introduced into a mass spectrometer via electrospray ionization. In addition to neutral ligand loss pathways, collision induced dissociation generates [AuL]+ and [Au3L]+ (L = diphosphine ligand) as particularly stable product ions from all clusters considered. Furthermore, deca- and undecagold clusters are found to be more resistant to collision induced dissociation, and more susceptible to partial ligand losses than octagold clusters. This suggests that for the deca- and undecagold species, Au P and P Ph (Ph = phenyl) bonds within the ligand-protected clusters are of comparable strength.

Citation

Journal of Physical Chemistry C

Volume

111

Issue

23

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

cluster fission, collision induced dissociation, electrospray, ligand, mass spectrometry, monolayer protected gold nanoparticle

Citation

Bergeron, D. and Hudgens, J. (2007), Ligand Dissociation and Core Fission from Diphosphine Protected Gold Clusters, Journal of Physical Chemistry C (Accessed April 24, 2024)