The mechanism of metal exchange in non-metallic nanoclusters†
Abstract
We substituted gold atoms in fcc structured Au28 and Au36 nanoclusters with a Ag(I)SR complex and obtained AgxAu28−x and AgxAu36−x nanoclusters, respectively. The positive electrostatic potential (ESP) and dual descriptor (Δf) values were calculated for the metal cores of both nanoclusters, which indicated that the metal exchange is an electrophilic reaction.