Quantitative analysis of air-oxidation reactions of thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters

The interaction of dioxygen (O2) with inorganic nanomaterials is one of the most essential steps to understanding the reaction mechanism of O2-related reactions. However, quantitative analyses for O2-binding processes and subsequent oxidation reactions on the surface are still elusive, whereas the reaction of O2 with molecules such as transition metal complexes has been widely explored. Herein, we have quantitatively evaluated reaction processes of air-oxidation reactions of atomically precise thiolate-protected Au25 nanoclusters ([Au25(SR)18]-) as a model of O2 activation by inorganic nanomaterials. Kinetic analyses on the air-oxidation reaction of [Au25(SR)18]- revealed a controlling factor for O2-activation processes, which could be finely tunable by the protecting thiolate ligands.