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Silver nanoparticles with an atomically precise molecular formula Ag25(SR)18(-) (-SR: thiolate) are synthesized, and their single-crystal structure is determined. This synthesized nanocluster is the only silver nanoparticle that has a virtually identical analogue in gold, i.e., Au25(SR)18(-), in terms of number of metal atoms, ligand count, superatom electronic configuration, and atomic arrangement. Furthermore, both Ag25(SR)18(-) and its gold analogue share a number of features in their optical absorption spectra. This unprecedented molecular analogue in silver to mimic gold offers the first model nanoparticle platform to investigate the centuries-old problem of understanding the fundamental differences between silver and gold in terms of nobility, catalytic activity, and optical property.
Joshi et al. (2015) studied this question.