The controlled synthesis of pure Au25(2-Nap)18 and Au36(2-Nap)24 nanoclusters were achieved via etching 2-(diphenylphosphino)-pyridine protected polydispersed Au nanoclusters with a mass of 1 to 3 kDa. Au25(2-Nap)18 was obtained at the etching temperature of 80 째C, while Au36(2-Nap)24 was synthesized at the etching temperature of 50 째C. This demonstrates that the simple adjustment of the etching temperatures can realize the controlled synthesis of different atomically precise Au nanoclusters.
