2022 年 16 巻 1 号 p. A0121-
Ligand-protected gold clusters attract much attention as building blocks for the functional materials at nanoscale. In order to deepen our understanding of clusters and find an application of their size-dependent properties, two problems should be overcome: (1) development of a scalable and reproducible synthesis method of desired gold clusters with atomic precision; (2) establishment of a simple guideline to control their electronic structures. In this account, our approach to tackle these problems is introduced. As for the former problem, we have developed an efficient synthesis method using an electronically activated cluster by hydride-doping. This atomically-precise cluster transformation reaction can be categorized into four types: core growth, ordered alloying, surface transformation, and fusion. For the latter one, we have utilized a simple jellium model to rationalize the relationship between electronic structures of clusters and structural factors such as composition and geometry. This simple principle enables us to intentionally design the physicochemical properties of clusters.