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Reber AC, Sengupta T, Bista D, Khanna SN. Magic Numbers in Octahedral Ligated Metal-Chalcogenide Superatoms. Inorg Chem 2022; 61:16003-16008. [PMID: 36149274 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c02361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The attainment of the superatomic state offers a unifying framework for the periodic classification of atomic clusters. Metallic clusters attain the superatomic state via the confined nearly free electron gas model that leads to groupings of quantum states marked by radial and angular momentum quantum numbers. We examine ligated octahedral metal-chalcogenide clusters where the nearly free electron gas model is invalid; however, the high symmetry can also lead to the bunching of electronic states. For octahedral TM6E8L6 clusters (TM = transition metal; E = chalcogen; L = ligand), the electronic shells are filled for valence electron counts of 96, 100, and 114 electrons. These magic electron counts are marked by large highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO) gaps, high ionization energies, and low electron affinity─all classic signatures of the superatomic state. We also find that clusters with electron counts differing from the magic counts show periodic patterns reminiscent of those observed in the periodic table of elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur C Reber
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
| | - Turbasu Sengupta
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
| | - Dinesh Bista
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
| | - Shiv N Khanna
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
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Bista D, Aydt AP, Anderton KJ, Paley DW, Betley TA, Reber AC, Chauhan V, Bartholomew AK, Roy X, Khanna SN. High-Spin Superatom Stabilized by Dual Subshell Filling. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:5172-5179. [PMID: 35289175 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c00731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Quantum confinement in small symmetric clusters leads to the bunching of electronic states into closely packed shells, enabling the classification of clusters with well-defined valences as superatoms. Like atoms, superatomic clusters with filled shells exhibit enhanced electronic stability. Here, we show that octahedral transition-metal chalcogenide clusters can achieve filled shell electronic configurations when they have 100 valence electrons in 50 orbitals or 114 valence electrons in 57 orbitals. While these stable clusters are intrinsically diamagnetic, we use our understanding of their electronic structures to theoretically predict that a cluster with 107 valence electrons would uniquely combine high stability and high-spin magnetic moment, attained by filling a majority subshell of 57 electrons and a minority subshell of 50 electrons. We experimentally demonstrate this predicted stability, high-spin magnetic moment (S = 7/2), and fully delocalized electronic structure in a new cluster, [NEt4]5[Fe6S8(CN)6]. This work presents the first computational and experimental demonstration of the importance of dual subshell filling in transition-metal chalcogenide clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinesh Bista
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23220, United States
| | - Alexander P Aydt
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Kevin J Anderton
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Daniel W Paley
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Theodore A Betley
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Arthur C Reber
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23220, United States
| | - Vikas Chauhan
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23220, United States
| | | | - Xavier Roy
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Shiv N Khanna
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23220, United States
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Mitchell BS, Kaminsky W, Velian A. Tuning the Electronic Structure of Atomically Precise Sn/Co/Se Nanoclusters via Redox Matching of Tin(IV) Surface Sites. Inorg Chem 2021; 60:6135-6139. [PMID: 33840191 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c00313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A new strategy is reported to tailor the electronic properties of a superatomic metal chalcogenide cluster by redox matching the cluster core with surface tin(IV) sites. Two ternary clusters (SnR2)3Co6Se8L6 (R = Me, nBu) are synthesized by salt metathesis from the hexalithiated salt [Li2(py)2]3Co6Se8L6 and R2SnCl2. Cyclic and differential-pulse voltammetry studies reveal that the tristannylated clusters feature two new, near-degenerate, electronic states within the highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gap of the Co6Se8 core, which are attributed to the reduction of a surface tin site. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that no Sn···Se coordination is present in the solid state. The single-crystal X-ray structure of the hexalithiated salt starting material is reported for the tetrahydrofuran (THF) adduct variant [Li2(THF)2]6Co6Se8L6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin S Mitchell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Werner Kaminsky
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Alexandra Velian
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
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Bista D, Sengupta T, Reber AC, Khanna SN. A Magnetic Superatomic Dimer with an Intense Internal Electric Dipole Moment. J Phys Chem A 2021; 125:816-824. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.0c10262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dinesh Bista
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
| | - Turbasu Sengupta
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
| | - Arthur C. Reber
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
| | - Shiv N. Khanna
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
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Li J, Huang HC, Wang J, Zhao Y, Chen J, Bu YX, Cheng SB. Polymeric tungsten carbide nanoclusters: structural evolution, ligand modulation, and assembled nanomaterials. NANOSCALE 2019; 11:19903-19911. [PMID: 31599909 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr05613k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Seeking novel superatoms with tunable electronic and magnetic properties has attracted much interest due to their potential application in cluster assembly nanomaterials. By employing density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the recently observed superatomic WC cluster was adopted as the basic unit to construct larger polymeric clusters, namely (WC)n (n = 2-7), and their structural evolution was explored to understand the growth pattern of these superatomic clusters into nanoscale materials. An unusual odd-even pattern in structural evolution was disclosed, in which the (WC)2 unit is considered as the basic building block. Moreover, W4C4 is found to possess a cubic structure, based on which the CO and PH3 ligands were attached to examine their ligation effects on W4C4. Theoretical results show that the electronic properties of W4C4 can be dramatically altered during the ligation process. Intriguingly, the continuous attachment of CO and PH3 ligands strongly increases and decreases the electron affinities (EA) and ionization potentials (IP) of the ligated W4C4 clusters, respectively, leading to the formation of superhalogen and superalkali species with high magnetic moments. The observed ligand induced strategy highlighted here could serve as an effective way to tune the electronic and magnetic properties of clusters resulting in the formation of novel superatoms. Finally, studies on the geometrical and electronic structures of the W4C4 cluster solid unveil its special 3-D cubic honeycomb geometry and metallic properties with predominant contribution from the 5d of W, which may have potential applications in electro-catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Li
- Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hai-Cai Huang
- Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jing Wang
- Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yang Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jing Chen
- Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, People's Republic of China. and Suzhou Institute of Shandong University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu-Xiang Bu
- Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, People's Republic of China. and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qufu Normal University, Qufu 273165, People's Republic of China
| | - Shi-Bo Cheng
- Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, People's Republic of China.
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Prabha S, Reber AC, Khanna SN. The structure and stability of CrnTem (1 ≤ n ≤ 6, 1 ≤ m ≤ 8) clusters. Chem Phys Lett 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Liu G, Pinkard A, Ciborowski SM, Chauhan V, Zhu Z, Aydt AP, Khanna SN, Roy X, Bowen KH. Tuning the electronic properties of hexanuclear cobalt sulfide superatoms via ligand substitution. Chem Sci 2018; 10:1760-1766. [PMID: 30842842 PMCID: PMC6369407 DOI: 10.1039/c8sc03862g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The electronic properties of the Co6S8L8 superatom can be tuned by changing its ligand composition while maintaining its electron count and closed shell.
Molecular clusters are attractive superatomic building blocks for creating materials with tailored properties due to their unique combination of atomic precision, tunability and functionality. The ligands passivating these superatomic clusters offer an exciting opportunity to control their electronic properties while preserving their closed shells and electron counts, which is not achievable in conventional atoms. Here we demonstrate this concept by measuring the anion photoelectron spectra of a series of hexanuclear cobalt sulfide superatomic clusters with different ratios of electron-donating and electron-withdrawing ligands, Co6S8(PEt3)6–x(CO)x (x = 0–3). We find that Co6S8(PEt3)6 has a low electron affinity (EA) of 1.1 eV, and that the successive replacement of PEt3 ligands with CO gradually shifts its electronic spectrum to lower energy and increases its EA to 1.8 eV. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the increase of EA results from a monotonic lowering of the cluster highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (HOMO and LUMO). Our work provides unique insights into the electronic structure and tunability of superatomic building blocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaoxiang Liu
- Department of Chemistry , Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , Maryland 21218 , USA .
| | - Andrew Pinkard
- Department of Chemistry , Columbia University , New York , New York 10027 , USA .
| | - Sandra M Ciborowski
- Department of Chemistry , Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , Maryland 21218 , USA .
| | - Vikas Chauhan
- Department of Physics , Virginia Commonwealth University , 701 W. Grace St. , Richmond , Virginia 23284 , USA .
| | - Zhaoguo Zhu
- Department of Chemistry , Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , Maryland 21218 , USA .
| | - Alexander P Aydt
- Department of Chemistry , Columbia University , New York , New York 10027 , USA .
| | - Shiv N Khanna
- Department of Physics , Virginia Commonwealth University , 701 W. Grace St. , Richmond , Virginia 23284 , USA .
| | - Xavier Roy
- Department of Chemistry , Columbia University , New York , New York 10027 , USA .
| | - Kit H Bowen
- Department of Chemistry , Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , Maryland 21218 , USA .
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Chauhan V, Khanna SN. Strong Effect of Organic Ligands on the Electronic Structure of Metal-Chalcogenide Clusters. J Phys Chem A 2018; 122:6014-6020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.8b03355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Chauhan
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
| | - Shiv N. Khanna
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000, United States
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