With the aim to synthesize soluble cluster molecules, the silver salt of (4-(tert-butyl)phenyl)methanethiol [AgSCH2C6H4tBu] was applied as a suitable precursor for the formation of a nanoscale silver sulfide cluster. In the presence of 1,6-(diphenylphosphino)hexane (dpph), the 115 nuclear silver cluster [Ag115S34(SCH2C6H4tBu)47(dpph)6] was obtained. The molecular structure of this compound was elucidated by single crystal X-ray analysis and fully characterized by spectroscopic techniques. In contrast to most of the previously published cluster compounds with more than a hundred heavy atoms, this nanoscale inorganic molecule is soluble in organic solvents, which allowed a comprehensive investigation in solution by UV-Vis spectroscopy and one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy including 31P/109Ag-HSQC and DOSY experiments. These are the first heteronuclear NMR investigations on coinage metal chalcogenides. They give some first insight into the behavior of nanoscale silver sulfide clusters in solution. Additionally, molecular weight determinations were performed by 2D analytical ultracentrifugation and HR-TEM investigations confirm the presence of size-homogeneous nanoparticles present in solution.

Based on the new binuclear gold(I) complex [(AuCl)2(L1)] (1) (L1 = 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)maleic anhydride) four new polynuclear compounds were synthesized by reactions of 1 with E(SiMe3)2 (E = S, Se). During the formation of these new compounds the initial ligand L1 undergoes various transformations (e.g. substitution, hydration or hydrogenation) leading to the new ligands: trans-2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)succinic anhydride (L2), 2-diphenylphosphino-3-mercapto-maleic anhydride anion (L3), 2-diphenylphosphino-3-selenolato-maleic anhydride anion (L4) and 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)succinic acid (L5). In case of using the sulfur species S(SiMe3)2 a pentanuclear cluster, [Au5(PPh2)3(L3)2] (2), and a 24-nuclear cluster, [Au24S6(PPh2)4(L3)8] (3), could be obtained. With Se(SiMe3)2 the binuclear complex, [(AuCl)2(L2)] (4), and the dodecanuclear cluster, [Au12Se4(L4)4(L5)2] (5), were yielded.

With the aim to synthesize soluble cluster molecules, the silver salt of (4-(tert-butyl)phenyl)methanethiol [AgSCH2C6H4tBu] was applied as a suitable precursor for the formation of a nanoscale silver sulfide cluster. In the presence of 1,6-(diphenylphosphino)hexane (dpph), the 115 nuclear silver cluster [Ag115S34(SCH2C6H4tBu)47(dpph)6] was obtained. The molecular structure of this compound was elucidated by single crystal X-ray analysis and fully characterized by spectroscopic techniques. In contrast to most of the previously published cluster compounds with more than a hundred heavy atoms, this nanoscale inorganic molecule is soluble in organic solvents, which allowed a comprehensive investigation in solution by UV-Vis spectroscopy and one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy including 31P/109Ag-HSQC and DOSY experiments. These are the first heteronuclear NMR investigations on coinage metal chalcogenides. They give some first insight into the behavior of nanoscale silver sulfide clusters in solution. Additionally, molecular weight determinations were performed by 2D analytical ultracentrifugation and HR-TEM investigations confirm the presence of size-homogeneous nanoparticles present in solution.