AN EXAFS STUDY OF SOME GOLD AND PALLADIUM CLUSTER COMPOUNDS

Gold L3-edge EXAFS measurements at 80 K on Au55(PPh3)12Cl6 confirm that the Au-Au distances in this amorphous metal cluster compound are significantly shorter than in bulk gold. The nearest-neighbor Au-Au distances are all equal within experimental uncertainty. Outer-shell Au-Au distances have also been resolved. The results are consistent with the cuboctahedral structure originally proposed for this cluster, but not the polyicosahedral one recently suggested. Very similar results have been obtained from the sulphonated water-soluble derivative Au55(PPh2C6H4SO3Na)12Cl6. In contrast, EXAFS of Au11{PPh2(p-ClC6H4)7I3 has clearly resolved the two nearest-neighbour Au-Au distances associated with its icosahedral structure. Palladium K-edge EXAFS has been used to study the cluster Pd561(phen)36O200. The Pd-Pd distance is nearly equal to that in bulk palladium. The results show a cubic close-packed cluster structure for this material, in contrast to the icosahedral structure reported for Pd561(phen)60(OAc)180.