Au108 S24 (PPh3 )16 : A Highly Symmetric Nanoscale Gold Cluster Confirms the General Concept of Metalloid Clusters.

The reduction of (Ph3 P)AuCl with NaBH4 in the presence of HSC(SiMe3 )3 , leads to one of the largest metalloid gold clusters: Au108 S24 (PPh3 )16 (1). Within 1 an octahedral Au44 core of gold atoms arranged as in Au metal is surrounded by 48 oxidized Au atoms of an Au48 S24 shell, a novel building block in gold chemistry. The protecting Au48 S24 shell is completed by additional 16 Au(PPh3 ) units, leading to a complete protection of the gold core. Within 1 the Au-Au distances get more molecular on going from the center to the ligand shell. Cluster 1 represents novel structural motives in the field of metalloid gold clusters which also are partly typical for metal atoms in metalloid clusters: Mn Rm (n>m).