[B30]−: A Quasiplanar Chiral Boron Cluster

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2014-05, Vol.53 (22), p.5540-5545
• Main Authors: Li, Wei-Li, Zhao, Ya-Fan, Hu, Han-Shi, Li, Jun, Wang, Lai-Sheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ab initio calculations; boron clusters; borophene; chirality; photoelectron spectroscopy
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201402488

Chirality is vital in chemistry. Its importance in atomic clusters has been recognized since the discovery of the first chiral fullerene, the D2 symmetric C76.1 A number of gold clusters have been found to be chiral,2 raising the possibility to use them as asymmetric catalysts. The discovery of clusters with enantiomeric structures is essential to design new chiral materials with tailored chemical and physical properties.3 Herein we report the first inherently chiral boron cluster of [B30]− in a joint photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical study. The most stable structure of [B30]− is found to be quasiplanar with a hexagonal hole. Interestingly, a pair of enantiomers arising from different positions of the hexagonal hole are found to be degenerate in our global minimum searches and both should co‐exist experimentally because they have identical electronic structures and give rise to identical simulated photoelectron spectra. Holey chiral: The [B30]− cluster was characterized by photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. A pair of planar structures with a hexagonal hole at different positions are found to be degenerate with identical electronic structures. These two isomers are enantiomers, suggesting that [B30]− is the first chiral boron cluster.