Sodium‐Naphthalenide‐Driven Synthesis of Base‐Metal Nanoparticles and Follow‐up Reactions

Mo 0 , W 0 , Fe 0 , Ru 0 , Re 0 , and Zn 0 nanoparticles—essentially base metals—are prepared as a general strategy by a sodium naphthalenide ([NaNaph])‐driven reduction of simple metal chlorides in ethers (1,2‐dimethoxyethane (DME), tetrahydrofuran (THF)). All the nanoparticles have diameters ≤10 nm, and they can be obtained either as powder samples or long‐term stable suspensions. Direct follow‐up reactions (e.g., Mo 0 +S 8 , FeCl 3 +AsCl 3 , ReCl 5 +MoCl 5 ), moreover, allow the preparation of MoS 2 , FeAs 2 , or Re 4 Mo nanoparticles of similar size as the pristine metals (≤10 nm).