Thirteen-atom metal clusters for genetic materials

The stability of metal clusters is often associated with relatively low energy, highly symmetric structure, electronic shell closure and chemical reaction inertness, which is tunable by heteroatom doping or ligand protection. Gas-phase stable clusters of thirteen metal atoms, such as Al13−, are rationalized by superatom character with a likely closure of electron shell and/or geometric shell. On the other hand, a metallic core of 13 atoms is embodied in many ligand-protected nanoclusters (typically M25 and M55, M = Au, Ag, Cu, etc.), also pertaining to superatomic stability. Here we summarize the advances of 13-atom metal clusters, endeavoring to fully convey the structural chemistry of metal clusters in gas-phase and their coordination chemistry in microscale condensed phase. We divide the reported studies into two main categories, i.e., naked 13-atom clusters in the gas phase and ligand-protected clusters with a 13-atom metal core, as well as those consisting of novel 13-atom moieties. Insights into such stable metal clusters enable to facilitate better understanding of fundamentals in condensed-phase chemistry and likely to use such 13-atom clusters as structural gene for modern materials.