Calixarene-Bound Metal Clusters

In the field of metal-cluster catalysis, the holy grail has been how to stabilize metal clusters with well-defined atomic connectivity. We have found a way to do this by attaching sterically bulky calixarene ligands. These ligands are so large that they stabilize metal clusters by enveloping them in a sheath, while providing transport accessibility for reactants and products to and from the active site, through a protected-but-accessible mechanism.

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