This paper presents the novel synthesis of gold nanoparticles of different sizes and hence colours in a wool fibre matrix, simultaneously utilising the chemical affinity of gold for sulfur to bind the nanogold to the disulfide linkages in cystine amino acids in the keratin protein. For this, the wool fibres act as a solid matrix to control the particle size and prevent agglomeration of the gold nanoparticles and hence facilitate a range of attractive colours in the wool due to the surface plasmon resonance effects of such gold nanoparticles. Because the nanogold is chemically bound to the cystine, it does not wash or rub out and is also stable to UV light, unlike organic colourants. The research innovatively links the high value and prestige of gold through nanoscience for high value textiles and fashion apparel, wherein the nanogold wool composite fibres contain only pure wool and pure gold and are environmentally desirable.

The catalytic activity of gold chloride nanoparticles is compared to the activity of two molecular gold(I) chloride phosphine complexes for the addition of methanol to 3-hexyne. The phosphines are triphenylphosphine and the bispidinone related bulky 6,8-bis-(4-dimethylamino-phenyl)-3-methyl-9-oxo-7-phenyl-3-aza-7-phospha-bicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-1,5-dicarboxylic acid dimethyl ester. Use of the bulky ligand made the addition reaction selective towards the enol product, meaning that no addition of methanol or water to alkenes, which were produced during the reaction, occurred. In contrast, use of triphenylphosphine gold(I) chloride resulted in the synthesis of a variety of products. The phosphines decomposed during reaction leading to the formation of gold nanoparticles, which were found to be catalytically inactive. Artificially produced gold nanoparticles also proved to be inactive. In contrast, gold chloride nanoparticles deposited on wool were active comparable to the gold phosphine-containing catalysts tested previously. Overall activities observed were low compared to results from the literature suggesting that the operating conditions chosen could be optimised.