A core-shell silver cluster

Nanomaterials Well-defined clusters containing noble metal atoms are often stabilized with organic capping ligands on their surface. Zhang et al. report the synthesis of clusters containing 48 silver atoms in which 5 chromate anions stabilize a cylindrical core of 23 silver atoms. These inorganic anions bridge the core to a surrounding shell of 25 silver atoms and help stabilize that structure, along with 20 tBuC≡C− anions (where tBu is tert -butyl) that act as capping ligands. This 14-electron superatom cluster is nonemissive as a solid, but luminescent in methylene chloride solution with an emission peak at 420 nanometers. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 141 , 4460 (2019).