text: We focus on experiments that use monodisperse colloidal suspensions of thiol-passivated gold 
  
  nanoparticles in toluene [33, 34, 37–40, 61]. The gold core of 2 – 3 nm diameter is coated by a layer 
  
  of alkyl-thiol molecules. The length of the carbon backbone of the thiol used in the experiments 
  
  ranges from 6 to 12 carbon atoms (C6 to C12) [40]. By varying the chain length, one can control 