Synthesis of chiral, crystalline Au-nanoflower catalyst As-sisting conversion of rhodamine-B to rhodamine-110 and a single step, one pot, eco-friendly reduction of nitroarenes

Chiral, multipetal gold nanoflowers (AuNFs) with crystalline tips were synthesized in high yield through the reduction of HAuCl4 in water in presence of preformed core-satellite Ag nanoparticle (AgNPs) seeds. High-resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM) images and tomography reveal the 3-dimensional structural profile of the AuNFs. In a first demonstration of this kind, a Hg2+/AuNF combination was shown to catalyze the direct transformation of rhodamine-B to rhodamine-110 in water.