Gas-phase synthesis and reactivity of binuclear gold hydride cations, (R3PAu)2H+ (R = Me and Ph)

Dalton Trans. 2006 Aug 14:(30):3699-707. doi: 10.1039/b604404b. Epub 2006 Jun 2.

Abstract

Electrospray ionization of a mixture of the two gold phosphine chlorides, R3PAuCl (R = Ph and Me), silver nitrate and the amino acid N,N-dimethylglycine (DMG) yields a range of gold containing cluster ions including: (R3P)Au(PR'3)+; (R3PAu)(R'3PAu)Cl+ and (R3PAu)(R'3PAu)(DMG-H)+ (where R = R' = Ph; R = R' = Me; R = Me and R' = Ph). Collision induced dissociation (CID) of the (R3PAu)(R'3PAu)(DMG-H)+ precursor ions yielded the hitherto unknown gold hydride dimers (R3PAu)(R'3PAu)H+. The gas-phase chemistry of these dimers was studied using ion-molecule reactions, collision induced dissociation, electronic excitation dissociation (EED) and DFT calculations on the (H3PAu)2H+ model system. A novel phosphine ligand migration was found to occur prior to fragmentation under CID conditions and this was supported by DFT calculations, which revealed a transition state with a bridging phosphine ligand.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cations / chemistry
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Cyclotrons
  • Electrochemistry
  • Fourier Analysis
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Models, Chemical
  • Models, Molecular
  • Models, Statistical
  • Organogold Compounds / chemical synthesis*
  • Phosphines / chemical synthesis
  • Phosphines / chemistry
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

Substances

  • Cations
  • Organogold Compounds
  • Phosphines