A New Class of Atomically Precise, Hydride-Rich Silver Nanoclusters Co-Protected by Phosphines

Thiols and phosphines are the most widely used organic ligands to attain atomically precise metal nanoclusters (NCs). Here, we used simple hydrides (e.g., H–) as ligands along with phosphines, such as triphenylphosphine (TPP), 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane [DPPE], and tris(4-fluorophenyl)phosphine [TFPP] to design and synthesize a new class of hydride-rich silver NCs. This class includes [Ag18H16(TPP)10]2+, [Ag25H22(DPPE)8]3+, and [Ag26H22(TFPP)13]2+. Our work reveals a new family of atomically precise NCs protected by H– ligands and labile phosphines, with potentially more accessible active metal sites for functionalization and provides a new set of stable NC sizes with simpler ligand–metal bonding for researchers to explore both experimentally and computationally.