Au36(SePh)24 nanomolecules: Synthesis, optical spectroscopy and theoretical analysis

Here, we report the synthesis of selenophenol (HSePh) protected Au36(SePh)24 nanomolecules via a ligand-exchange reaction of 4-tert-butylbenzenethiol (HSPh-tBu) protected Au36(SPh-tBu)24 with selenophenol, and its spectroscopic and theoretical analysis. Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry, electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry and optical characterization confirm that the composition of the as synthesized product is predominantly Au36(SePh)24 nanomolecules. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was employed to isolate the Au36(SePh)24 and temperature dependent optical absorption studies and theoretical analysis were performed. Theoretically, an Independent Component Maps of Oscillator Strength (ICM-OS) analysis of simulated spectra shows that the enhancement in absorption intensity in Au36(SePh)24 with respect to Au36(SPh)24 can be ascribed to the absence of interference and/or increased long-range coupling between interband metal core and ligand excitations. This work demonstrates and helps to understand the effect of Au–Se bridging on the properties of gold nanomolecules.