[Ag<sub>25</sub>(SR)<sub>18</sub>]<sup>−</sup>: The “Golden”
Silver Nanoparticle
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Abstract
Silver
nanoparticles with an atomically precise molecular formula
[Ag<sub>25</sub>(SR)<sub>18</sub>]<sup>−</sup> (−SR:
thiolate) are synthesized, and their single-crystal structure is determined.
This synthesized nanocluster is the only silver nanoparticle that
has a virtually identical analogue in gold, i.e., [Au<sub>25</sub>(SR)<sub>18</sub>]<sup>−</sup>, in terms of number of metal
atoms, ligand count, superatom electronic configuration, and atomic
arrangement. Furthermore, both [Ag<sub>25</sub>(SR)<sub>18</sub>]<sup>−</sup> and its gold analogue share a number of features in
their optical absorption spectra. This unprecedented molecular analogue
in silver to mimic gold offers the first model nanoparticle platform
to investigate the centuries-old problem of understanding the fundamental
differences between silver and gold in terms of nobility, catalytic
activity, and optical property