Steric and Electrostatic Control of the pH-Regulated Interconversion of Au 16 (SR) 12 and Au 18 (SR) 14 (SR: Deprotonated Captopril)

作者：Wan Jiang, Yuyuan Bai, Qinzhen Li, Xiean Yao, Hui Zhang, Yongbo Song, Xiangming Meng, Haizhu Yu, Manzhou Zhu · 发表于：Inorganic Chemistry · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.1021/acs.inorgchem.9b03694 · 被引用次数：18 · 研究领域：Nanocluster Synthesis and Applications、Advanced Nanomaterials in Catalysis、Neurological Complications and Syndromes

An understanding of the response of nanomaterials to specific environmental parameters is an essential prerequisite for their practical use, especially in living systems. Herein, we disclose the preparation of a water-soluble nanocluster Au 16 (SR) 12 (SR denotes deprotonated captopril) and its characterization by a combination of theoretical (e.g., density functional theory calculations) and experimental (UV–vis, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, etc.) methods. Interestingly, Au 16 (SR) 12 was found to convert to Au 18 (SR) 14 under acidic conditions, while the reverse conversion from Au 18 (SR) 14 to Au 16 (SR) 12 occurred upon the addition of base. A mechanistic investigation determined this pH regulation to originate from the distinct steric and electrostatic properties of these two clusters. This study is the first to report the susceptibility of Au 18 (SR) 14 and Au 16 (SR) 12 to pH, and the distinct pH stability unambiguously reveals the importance of size-tracking of nanomaterials in living systems for future clinical applications.