Mechanism of formation of palladium nanoparticles: Lewis base assisted, low-temperature preparation of monodisperse nanoparticles.

Small and cool: The mechanism of formation of amine-capped Pd nanoparticles from [Pd(acac)(2)] (acac=acetylacetonate) is elucidated, and shown to involve Pd-amido and Pd-hydride intermediates. The addition of a Lewis base results in a significant reduction in the temperature at which highly monodisperse nanoparticles are isolated.