Robust Enantiomeric Two-Dimensional Assembly of Atomically Precise Silver Clusters.

The facile syntheses of enantiomeric atomically precise silver clusters starting from achiral ligands remain a substantial challenge to explore. In this work, a pair of atomically precise enantiomers of R / S -[Ag 17 Cl( i PrS) 9 S(CH 3 COO) 5 H 2 O] ( R/S-Ag 17 , i PrS = isopropanethiolate) clusters have been synthesized using a viable solvothermal approach. The chirality of the resulting enantiomeric R/S-Ag 17 clusters is attributed to the asymmetric arrangement of surface achiral ligands. Both R/S-Ag 17 enantiomers could form the two-dimensional (2D) assemblies via intercluster interactions of basic building blocks containing Ag 16 S 8 moieties, i PrS-Ag motifs, and S 2- linkers. Such a small ligand-induced 2D assembly greatly contributes to the enhancement of thermal stability and photocatalytic activity of R/S-Ag 17 clusters, providing possibilities for exploring robust coinage cluster-based assembly with attractive catalytic properties.