We are grateful to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for financial support, and we thank Dr. Daniel Werner for helpful discussions.

CAUTION! Please consult all relevant material safety data sheets (MSDS) before use. Several of the chemicals used in these syntheses are acutely toxic, pyrophoric, and carcinogenic. Nanomaterials may have additional hazards compared to their bulk counterpart. Please use all appropriate safety practices when performing a reaction, including the use of engineering controls (fume hood and glovebox) and personal protective equipment (safety glasses, gloves, lab coat, full length pants, and closed-toe shoes)....

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Ed. 41, 3532-3554 (2002).</li><li>Ecker, A., Weckert, E., Schn&#246;ckel, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Synthesis+and+structural+characterization+of+an+Al77+cluster.">Synthesis and structural characterization of an Al77 cluster.</a> Nature. 387, 379-381 (1997).</li><li>Schnepf, A., Schn&#246;ckel, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Synthesis+and+structure+of+a+Ga84R204-+cluster-a+link+between+metalloid+clusters+and+fullerenes?.">Synthesis and structure of a Ga84R204- cluster-a link between metalloid clusters and fullerenes?.</a> Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 40, 712-715 (2001).</li><li>Schrenk, C., K&#246;ppe, R., Schellenberg, I., P&#246;ttgen, R., Schnepf, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Synthesis+of+tin(I)bromide.+A+novel+binary+halide+for+synthetic+chemistry.">Synthesis of tin(I)bromide. A novel binary halide for synthetic chemistry.</a> Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 635, 1541-1548 (2009).</li><li>Schnepf, A., K&#246;ppe, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Synthese+von+Germanium(I)bromid.+Ein+erster+Schritt+zu+neuen+Clusterverbindungen+des+Germaniums?.">Synthese von Germanium(I)bromid. Ein erster Schritt zu neuen Clusterverbindungen des Germaniums?.</a> Z. Anorg. Allg. 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By applying the preparative co-condensation technique (Figure 1)25, novel materials based on molecules like SnBr are obtained. Due to the high flexibility in temperature, pressure, metal, and reactive gas, a large variety of metastable solutions of high reactive species can be synthesized. For example, subhalides of silicon and germanium are already obtained in this way. However, finding the right conditions to obtain a metastable solution for further synthesis is not trivial, and the solution...

Due to recent progress in the field of nanotechnology, the nanoscale size range between molecules and&#160;the solid state became more and more important and is the focus of various research efforts1. Research with nanoscaled compounds is especially of interest for metals or semimetals, as drastic changes take place during the transformation from small molecular species (e.g., oxides, halides: non-conducting; e.g., AlCl3, AuCl3, GeO2, etc.) to metalloid clusters2 of the general formulae MnRm (n&#62;m; M = metal such as Al, Au, Sn, etc.; R = ligand such as S-C6H4-COOH, N(SiMe3)2, etc.), to the final bulk elemental phase (metal: conducting; semimetal: semiconducting; e.g., elemental Al, Au, or Ge)3.
The synthesis of a definite molecular nanoscaled compound is challenging due to its metastable character. Many synthetic procedures give metal nanoparticles with a certain size distribution4, meaning a mixture of metalloid cluster compounds of different sizes. Consequently, to establish a basis for a structure-property relationship of nanoscaled materials, synthetic procedures must be developed to access definite nanoscaled molecular compounds. These definite molecular compounds (metalloid clusters in the case of metals5,6,7,8) will shed light on the complexity and the fundamental principles of deceptively simple chemistry, such as the dissolution and the formation of metals9.
One synthetic route to access metalloid clusters of various metals starts from the reduction of stable precursors that are reduced to form a metalloid cluster, mostly in low yield (e.g., metalloid group 14 clusters like Sn15(DippNSiMe3)6 (Dipp = 2,6-iPr2-C6H3)10, Pb10(Hyp)6 (Hyp = Si(SiMe3)3)11, or Ge5(CH(SiMe3)2)412). Additionally, an increasing number of metalloid clusters of coinage metals are synthesized via the reduction of precursors in the presence of a trapping ligand like [Ag44(p-MBA)30]4- (p-MBA = p-mercaptobenzoic acid)13 and Au102(p-MBA)4414. Beside the synthetic route of applying the reductive dehalogenation, Schn&#246;ckel et al. introduced a synthetic route to metalloid group 13 clusters by applying the disproportionation reaction of highly reactive metastable monohalides of the corresponding element (e.g., 3AlCl &#8594; 2Al + AlCl3).
The synthesis of the needed monohalides is thereby performed via a preparative co-condensation technique, where at high temperatures, gas-phase molecules of AlX and GaX (X = Cl, Br, I) are synthesized and afterwards trapped in a matrix of frozen solvents (Figure 1)15. This technique thus gives access to novel reagents, opening the way to novel areas of chemistry (e.g., starting from the metastable monohalides, metalloid clusters with diameters in the nanometer range like [Al77(N(SiMe3)2)20]2- or [Ga84(N(SiMe3)2)20]4- could be obtained)16,17.
The synthetic route via the disproportionation reaction is thus the most productive, leading to clusters with diameters in the nanometer range. However, this synthetic route is only possible if a metastable subhalide is at hand that disproportionates at low temperatures (normally far below 0 &#176;C). Again, in the case of group 14, monohalides are needed, as the subvalent dihalides MX2 (M = Ge, Sn, Pb) are too stable and disproportionate at temperatures well above 100 &#176;C. The synthesis of metastable group 14 monohalide solutions is possible via the preparative co-condensation technique. However, group 14 monohalides are obtained at much higher temperatures with respect to the group 13 monohalides, which are readily available as gas phase species at 1,000 &#176;C. Hence, SnBr is obtained in maximum yield at 1,250 &#176;C18, whereas GeBr19, as well as SiCl220, are obtained at even higher temperatures, up to 1,600 &#176;C. The monohalides are &#34;trapped&#34; via a preparative co-condensation technique (Figure 1), leading to metastable monohalide solutions. Starting from these metastable solutions, we were recently able to synthesize a variety of novel metalloid group 14 cluster compounds of germanium and tin, namely [Li(thf)2]3[Ge14(Hyp)5] (Hyp = Si(SiMe)3)21, Sn10(Hyp)622, and {[Li([12]crown-4)2]}2 [Sn10(Hyp)4]23. Here, we present the synthesis of a metastable Sn(I)Cl solution within a homemade co-condensation apparatus and describe its reactivity with LiHyp to give the metalloid cluster [Sn10(Hyp)4]2- 1 in high yield.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Tin 99.999%</td>
			<td>ABCR</td>
			<td>AB122397</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HydrogenchlorideN28&#160; 99.8%</td>
			<td>Air Liquide</td>
			<td>P0820S10R0A001</td>
			<td>Toxic</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Toluene anhydrous 99.8%</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>244511</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tri-n-butylphosphine &#62;93.5%</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>90827</td>
			<td>Toxic</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TMEDA, &#62;99.5%</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>411019</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>12-crown-4</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>194905</td>
			<td>Toxic</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>THF anhydrous, &#62;99.9%</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>401757</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium, 99.95%</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>262715</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Benzophenone, &#62;99%</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>427551</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Differential pressure manometer&#160;</td>
			<td>MKS</td>
			<td>MKS Baratron 223B</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mass flow controller&#160;</td>
			<td>Bronckhorst&#160;</td>
			<td>Low &#916;p flow mass flow controller</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>High frequency generator</td>
			<td>Trumpf H&#252;ttinger</td>
			<td>TruHeat MF 5020</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NMR spectrometer</td>
			<td>Bruker</td>
			<td>Bruker DRX-250</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glovebox</td>
			<td>GS Systemtechnik</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Argon 5.0</td>
			<td>Westfalen</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nitrogen 4.8</td>
			<td>Westfalen</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Graphite</td>
			<td>SGL</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Quartz glass tube</td>
			<td>Gebr. Rettberg GmbH</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Steel transferring cannula</td>
			<td>Rohre Ketterer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Balance</td>
			<td>Kern</td>
			<td>Kern PFB200-3</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Oil diffusion pump</td>
			<td>Balzers</td>
			<td>Balzers Diff900</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Rotary vane pump</td>
			<td>Balzers</td>
			<td>Balzers QK100L4D</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pyrometer</td>
			<td>Sensotherm</td>
			<td>6285</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Schlenk tubes with glassy stopcocks</td>
			<td>Gebr. Rettberg GmbH</td>
			<td>J.-Young-type valve with glassy stopcock</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

the synthesis of [sn10(si(sime3)3)4]2- using a metastable sn(i) halide solution synthesized via a co-condensation technique

The number of well-characterized metalloid tin clusters, synthesized by applying the disproportionation of a metastable Sn(I) halide in the presence of a sterically demanding ligand, has increased in recent years. The metastable Sn(I) halide is synthesized at&#160;&#34;outer space conditions&#34; via the preparative co-condensation technique. Thereby, the subhalide is synthesized in an oven at high temperatures, around 1,300 &#176;C, and at reduced pressure by the reaction of elemental tin with hydrogen halide gas (e.g., HCl). The subhalide (e.g., SnCl) is trapped within a matrix of an inert solvent, like toluene at -196 &#176;C. Heating the solid matrix to -78 &#176;C gives a metastable solution of the subhalide. The metastable subhalide solution is highly reactive but can be stored at -78 &#176;C for several weeks. On heating the solution to room temperature, a disproportionation reaction occurs, leading to elemental tin and the corresponding dihalide. By applying bulky ligands like Si(SiMe3)3, the intermediate metalloid cluster compounds can be trapped before complete disproportionation to elemental tin. Hence, the reaction of a metastable Sn(I)Cl solution with Li-Si(SiMe3)3 gives [Sn10(Si(SiMe3)3)4]2- 1 as black crystals in high yield. 1 is formed via a complex reaction sequence including salt metathesis, disproportionation, and degradation of larger clusters. Further, 1 can be analyzed by various methods like NMR or single crystal X-ray structure analysis.

The principle of the matrix isolation technique in conjugation with the preparative co-condensation technique is shown (Figure 1), as well as the setup of the co-condensation apparatus (Figure 2) and the graphite reactor (Figure 3). Figures 4 and 5 show photos of the assembly of the co-condensation apparatus. In Figure 6, the gas supply components with the mass flow controller are shown. ...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about The Synthesis of [Sn10SiSiMe334]2- Using a Metastable SnI Halide Solution Synthesized via a Co-condensation Technique at JoVE.com

The Synthesis of [Sn10SiSiMe334]2- Using a Metastable SnI Halide Solution Synthesized via a Co-condensation Technique

The disproportionation reaction of a metastable Sn(I) chloride solution, obtained via the preparative co-condensation technique, is used for the synthesis of a metalloid tin cluster compound.

The Synthesis of [Sn10(Si(SiMe3)3)4]2- Using a Metastable Sn(I) Halide Solution Synthesized via a Co-condensation Technique

The number of well-characterized metalloid tin clusters, synthesized by applying the disproportionation of a metastable Sn(I) halide in the presence of a ...

The overall goal of the preparative co-condensation technique is to access novel reagents based on molecules that are unattainable from classical synthetic procedures, which opens the door to new fields in chemistry. The main advantage of this method is that highly reactive reagents are obtained and subsequent reactions can be done at low temperature, which is important for the synthesis of metastable metalloid clusters. This method can help to answer key questions in the field of nanotechnology, as structure-property relations might be established from structurally well-characterized metalloid cluster compounds.Though the metastable tin-halide solution gives access to nanoscale cluster, it might also be used for coordination or adducts chemistry or for the synthesis of novel materials. Visual demonstration of this method is critical as the construction steps are difficult to learn due to the high complexity of the co-condensation apparatus. First, fill five reaction chambers with six grams of elemental tin.Stack the reaction chambers over a terminal ring, each of them twisted by 30 degrees, and fix the stack with a 0.7 millimeter graphite rod. Insert the stack into a hollow graphite tube, so that the holes of the terminal ring fit with the holes in the graphite tube. Fix the setup with a second 0.7 millimeter graphite rod.Then, weigh the whole setup with a scale and note the value to determine the amount of tin consumed during the reaction. Next, place the graphite reactor inside the copper induction coil of a co-condensation apparatus, and pass the cord's tube through the central hole of the top copper sheet, placed above the induction coil. Fix the cord's tube to a hydrogen chloride supply pipe with a gasket and a screw nut.Check the position of the reactor inside the coil, to ensure that the reactor protrudes from the coil by five, plus or minus 0.5, millimeters. Connect the cooling shield to the water pins of the connector with screw nuts. After fixing the cooling shield at the other side with a screw, test the water tightness of the cooling cycle by opening the tap water for 30 seconds.Following this, fix the fiber optics of a pyrometer to the holder at the copper shield with a screw. Fix the solvent vapor diffuser with a screw nut, and ensure that it is centered under the cavity of the copper shield. Re-check that the graphite reactor is still in the center of the induction coil and that there is no contact of the coil to the top copper sheet.Connect a steel tube with a valve to the vapor diffuser. Now, mount the Schlenk vessel for solvent evaporation onto the valve. Attach a previously prepared solvent mixture flask to the Schlenk vessel.Then, add a hemispherical heating mantle to the evaporating Schlenk vessel. Connect a long steel cannula to the apparatus with a screw nut, and close the outer tail with a small round-bottom flask. After placing a 10 centimeter magnetic stir bar inside a stainless steel vessel, place a gasket into the cavity of the plane flange, and connect the vessel to the co-condensation apparatus.Next, connect the hydrogen chloride-containing glass vessel to a small steel tube, and then to a four point adapter. Close the rear exit of the four point adapter with a blind flange. Then, connect a differential pressure manometer to the front exit, and set up a valve at the top exit.Now, connect a fine needle valve to the valve at the top exit of the four point adapter. Then, use a long steel tube to connect the gas supply part to the co-condensation apparatus. After complete assembly, evacuate the co-condensation apparatus overnight to a final pressure of around 10 to the minus five millibar.The next day, fill the cooling trap of an oil diffusion pump with four liters of liquid nitrogen. Switch on the cooling water cycle of a high frequency generator, and open the tap water. After turning on the generator, slowly bake out the graphite reactor by increasing the output power in incremental steps of 0.1 to 0.5 kilowatts until the reaction temperature is around 1300 degrees Celsius.Following bake-out, adjust the value of the generator to 1.0 kilowatt to cool down the reactor. After filling a steel dewar with 30 liters of liquid nitrogen, lift it with a lifting platform so that the reaction vessel is placed within the dewar. Then, add more liquid nitrogen to the dewar to reach the final level of liquid nitrogen.Switch on the hemispherical heating mantle on the lowest level to maintain evaporation. At this point, evaporate the solvent drop-wise. Fix the drop rate so that all solvent is used during the reaction.Close the fine needle and the gas valve, then open the hydrogen chloride-containing glass vessel. If the displayed voltage at the differential pressure manometer is not higher than 1600 millivolts, apply low pressure at the second connection of the manometer by connecting an evacuated vessel to the outer connection of the manometer. Record the displayed starting value.Next, heat the graphite reactor to 1300 degrees Celsius by adjusting the value of the generator to 3.6 kilowatts. After opening the gas valve, slowly open the fine needle valve to let in the hydrogen chloride gas at a constant rate of eight millivolts per minute. Check the rate at least every 10 minutes, and record the measured values.Add two liters of liquid nitrogen to the dewar, approximately every 10 minutes, so that the level of liquid nitrogen is always at the upper third of the stainless steel vessel. After the value of the differential manometer is decreased by 1600 millivolts, close the gas valve. Then introduce the remaining hydrogen chloride gas that is within the gas supply part by slowly opening the fine needle valve, and shut down the high frequency generator.Disconnect the oil diffusion pump by closing the main valve, and flush the apparatus with dry nitrogen to a pressure around one atmosphere. Replace the liquid nitrogen-filled steel dewar with an insulated bucket placed on a magnetic stirrer. Then, add about five kilograms of fine powdered dry ice to the bucket, and turn on the magnetic stirrer.After allowing the solution to stir for at least 45 minutes, replace the round-bottom flash at the press cannula with a double-valve Schlenk tube while still cooling with dry ice under constant flow of nitrogen. Fix the height of the press cannula so that it touches the bottom of the stainless steel vessel. Now, push out the tin chloride solution with slight over-pressure by opening the valves at the double-valve Schlenk tube.To determine the solution quality, perform a halide titration by dissolving two milliliters of the solution in 50 milliliters of dilute nitric acid. Then, add one milliliter of 30 percent hydrogen peroxide to the mixture. After stirring for 10 minutes, perform a potentiometric titration of silver nitrate against the calomel electrode.Following this, weigh the graphite tube to determine the amount of consumed tin, which should be between 4 and 4.8 grams. Using a steel or Teflon cannula, add 20 milliliters of the 0.2 molar tin chloride solution to a cooled Schlenk vessel, containing two grams of the ligon source. Turn on the magnetic stirrer, allowing the reaction to stir, and slowly warm to room temperature within three hours.Once the reaction is complete, stop the magnetic stirrer and allow all insoluble precipitate inside the Schlenk tube to settle. Then, filter the dark brown solution into another Schlenk vessel. Finally, add 0.2 milliliters of TMEDA to the mixture, allow it to stand overnight to form black crystals.After isolation, identify the crystals via proton NMR. The principle of the matrixed isolation technique, in conjugation with preparative co-condensation technique, is shown here. A schematic of the co-condensation apparatus setup is displayed here.Here, the synthetic root to the metalloid cluster compound one is shown, applying the disproportionation reaction of the metastable sub-valent tin chloride. The proton, carbon, and silicon NMR spectra of the metalloid tin 10-cluster crystals are shown here. The molecular structure of compound one, as determined by x-ray crystallographic analysis, is displayed here.Once mastered, the co-condensation can be performed within two days, if it is performed properly. The synthesis of the metalloid tin 10-cluster requires another week for the crystallization of the product. While attempting this procedure, it's important to remember that the settings during the co-condensation reaction must at constant to obtain a suitable metastable solution that can be used for the synthesis of metalloid clusters.Following this procedure, subsequent reactions with the metalloid tin 10-cluster can be performed in order to answer additional questions like chemical reactivity of metalloid tin clusters. After its development, this technique paved the way for researches in the field of nanotechnology to explore properties on defined nano-scaled metalloid cluster compounds. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how preparative co-condensation is performed, leading to novel reagents, based on molecules that are unattainable via classical synthetic procedures, which opens the door to new fields in chemistry.Don't forget that working with a co-condensation apparatus and the highly reactive metastable sub-halide solution can be extremely hazardous, and personal protective equipment such as safety glasses, gloves, and lab hood should be worn while performing the reactions.

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JoVE Journal

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8.4K vistas.  University of Tübingen. The overall goal of the preparative co-condensation technique is to access novel reagents based on molecules that are unattainable from classical synthetic procedures, which opens the door to new fields in chemistry. The main advantage of this method is that highly reactive reagents are obtained and subsequent reactions can be done at low temperature, which is important for the synthesis of metastable metalloid clusters. This method can help to answer key questions in the field of nanotechnol...