Investigation of molecular alkali tetrafluorido aurates by matrix‐isolation spectroscopy

Molecular alkali tetrafluorido aurate ion pairs M[AuF4] (M=K, Rb, Cs) are produced by co‐deposition of IR laser‐ablated AuF3 and MF in solid neon under cryogenic conditions. This method also yields molecular AuF3 and its dimer Au2F6. The products are characterized by their Au–F stretching bands and high‐level quantum‐chemical calculations at the CCSD(T)/triple‐ζ level of theory. Structural changes in AuF4− associated with the coordination of the anion to different alkali cations are proven spectroscopically and discussed