Distinct chemical fixation of CO enabled by exotic gold nanoclusters.

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters, especially the metal nanoclusters with an exotic core structure, have given rise to a great deal of interest in catalysis, attributing to their well-defined structures at the atomic level and consequently unique electronic properties. Herein, the catalytic performances of three gold nanoclusters, such as AuS(S-Adm) with a body-centered cubic (bcc) kernel structure, Au(S-Adm) with a hexagonal close-packed (hcp) core structure, and Au(S-Adm) with a face-centered cubic (fcc) kernel structure, were attempted for the CO cycloaddition with epoxides toward cyclic carbonates. Due to the excess positive charge with a strong Lewis acidity and large chemical adsorption capacity, the bcc-AuS(S-Adm) nanocluster outperformed the hcp-Au(S-Adm) and fcc-Au(S-Adm) nanoclusters. Additionally, the synergistic effect between the gold nanocluster and co-catalyst played a crucial role in CO cycloaddition.