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Yes—in theoretical calculations, a particular gold(I) species called dimethylaurate acted as a hydrogen-bond acceptor. The result is unusual because acceptors are commonly expected to be negatively charged, but it does not show that gold in general forms hydrogen bonds this way, or that the predicted interactions have been confirmed experimentally.
What the calculations found
In a 2017 theoretical study, Ferdinand Groenewald, Helgard G. Raubenheimer, Jan Dillen and Catharine Esterhuysen examined hydrogen bonding between dimethylaurate and six hydrogen-bond donors. The donors included hydrogen fluoride (HF), hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and ammonia (NH3). The Royal Society of Chemistry’s summary reports strong or moderate hydrogen bonds for five of the six donor pairs. The RSC summary of the study identifies the paper as “Gold setting the ‘gold standard’ among transition metals as a hydrogen bond acceptor – a theoretical investigation,” published in Dalton Transactions in 2017 (DOI: 10.1039/C7DT00329C).
The key point is the charge and identity of the calculated acceptor: Au(I) in dimethylaurate is formally positive, yet the calculations found it could accept a hydrogen bond. This is a result for the modeled species and interactions, not a general property established for every gold compound.
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How gold compared with other acceptors
The calculations also provide two useful comparisons. The Au(I)···H–X interactions were weaker than those formed with the negatively charged auride ion. For interactions involving HF and HCN, however, the calculated dimethylaurate interactions were more stabilizing than analogous interactions with a negatively charged cobalt center, according to the RSC summary.
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These comparisons concern calculated interactions in the reported study. They do not establish a universal ranking of gold, auride and cobalt across different molecules or conditions.
Why relativistic effects matter
The proposed explanation for gold’s unusual behavior was relativity. Chemistry World reported that removing relativistic effects from the calculations weakened the hydrogen bonds; in the HF case, the interaction disappeared. This suggests that relativistic effects were important to the predicted bonding in the modeled system, rather than merely incidental to the result. Chemistry World’s report describes the calculation and the reactions to it.
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What the result does—and does not—establish
The finding is computational, not an experimental demonstration. Chemistry World noted that earlier attempts to confirm the phenomenon experimentally had been inconclusive. The story also included both interest and skepticism: Matthias Bickelhaupt, a researcher who develops computational methods to study chemical bonding, called it “on to a fascinating phenomenon”; hydrogen-bonding researcher Alberto Albinati cautioned, “Although this work is well carried out using sophisticated techniques, it always possible to find an interaction if you try hard enough.” Those are reactions to the work, not additional conclusions from the calculations.
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Why chemists were interested in the possibility
Catharine Esterhuysen hoped the work would encourage experimental chemists to synthesize Au(I) complexes for investigation in catalysis and medicinal chemistry. These were proposed directions for future research, not demonstrated applications, established treatments or products in the 2017 reports.
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