'Golden fullerene': ligand-protected nanocluster made of 32 gold atoms

Researchers have synthesized a tiny structure from 32 gold atoms. This nanocluster has a core of 12 gold atoms surrounded by a shell of 20 additional gold atoms. As the scientists report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, the unusual stability of this cluster results from electronic interactions with amido and phosphine ligands bound to its surface.