The reactivity of phenylethanethiolated gold nanoparticles with acetic acid.

We report the size-dependent reactivity of phenylethanethiolated gold nanoparticles with acetic acid. Employing this reactivity, we synthesize a novel nanocluster Au38 (PET)26 (PET: phenylethanethiolate), which is otherwise difficult to obtain and exhibits remarkably different photoluminescence and electrochemical properties compared with the well-known Au38 (PET)24 nanoclusters. And the reaction process between Au38 (PET)26 and acetic acid was probed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry.