Giant core-shell nanospherical clusters composed of 32 Co or 32 Ni atoms held by 6 p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene units

Inorg Chem. 2012 May 7;51(9):5481-6. doi: 10.1021/ic300550v. Epub 2012 Apr 19.

Abstract

Using combinations of p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene (TCA) and [M(DMSO)(6)(BF(4))(2)] salts (M = Co(II) or Ni(II)), two almost isostructural core-shell-type thermally stable giant nanoclusters, composed of 32 metal centers, 6 deprotonated calix units binding the metal centers by both their O and S atoms, 24 μ-oxo or μ-hydroxo bridging groups, and 6 MeOH molecules, have been prepared under mild and reproducible conditions. For both giant clusters, the oxidation state II [M(II)(32)O(16)(OH)(8)(CH(3)OH)(6)TCA(6) (M = Co or Ni)] for the metal center was demonstrated by X-ray photoelectron and electronic absorption spectroscopies.