Chirality in Gold Nanoclusters

This chapter focuses on the chirality of atomically precise gold nanoclusters protected by thiolate ligands (denoted as Au n (SR) m ). Such nanoclusters are composed of a specific number of gold atoms (e.g., n ranging from tens to hundreds) and also an exact number (m) of thiolate ligands; hence, they are truly monodispersed nanoparticles with atomic precision. The successful determination of the crystal structures of Au n (SR) m nanoclusters unambiguously reveals the origin of chirality in such nanoclusters. Unlike organic molecules in which chirality is typically associated with the chiral carbon center, chirality in Au n (SR) m nanoclusters can be imparted by (i) the chiral arrangement of the Au-thiolate surface motifs, (ii) the thiolate ligands with chiral carbon centers, and (iii) the chiral arrangement of carbon tails. The solved X-ray structures of chiral nanoclusters have laid down the foundation for in-depth understanding of the origins of chirality in nanomaterials. Future work should focus on the applications of chiral nanoclusters.