Construction of polyoxometalates from dynamic lacunary polyoxotungstate building blocks and lanthanide linkers

New polyoxometalates have been constructed from the dynamic building block {B-α-Sb^IIIW₉O₃₃} and lanthanide (Ln) linkers via a stepwise synthetic strategy, exhibiting luminescent properties with their Tb- and Dy-derivatives.

Unusual assembly of lacunary heteropolymolybdates with cyanometalate fragment

Two new cyanide-bridged heteropolymolybdate complexes have been synthesized by a facile self-assembly process in aqueous solution, which demonstrates a successful tactic to incorporate the cyanometalate fragment into lacunary heteropolymolybdate. Magnetic investigation showed that complex 2 exhibits slow magnetic relaxation behavior.

The chloridomolybdenum(III) cluster in [BMIm]4[AgMo10Cl35] with infinite chains of Ag(+)-linked [Mo10Cl35](5-) wheels

[BMIm]4[AgMo10Cl35] is prepared by reaction of MoCl5 and elemental silver in the ionic liquid [BMIm][AlCl4] ([BMIm(+)]: 1-butyl-4-methylimidazolium). Surprisingly, elemental silver is oxidized under these conditions. The title compound contains a new wheel-shaped [Mo10Cl35](5-) chlorido molybdenum(iii) species with five pairs of Mo-Mo bonds. The Mo-Mo distances are found to be 263 pm on average. The [Mo10Cl35](5-) wheels exhibit a maximum opening of 558 pm in diameter. They are interlinked via Ag(+) to form infinite [AgMo10Cl35](4-) chains. The title compound is characterized by single crystal structure analysis, EDX, FT-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The wheel-type structure and Ag(+) linkage to infinite chains are a new aspect of halogenido metalates and low-valence molybdenum compounds.

pH-controlled and sulfite anion-directed assembly of a family of cerium(III)-containing polyoxotungstates clusters

A versatile one-pot strategy was employed to synthesize five cerium(III)-containing polyoxotungstate nanoclusters through pH-controlled and sulfite anion-directed assembly: [C2H8N]3Na7[Ce2(H2O)6W22O72(OH)4]·20H2O (1) at pH 5.0; [C2H8N]8Na16[Ce4(H2O)12W44O144(OH)12]·23H2O (2) at pH 4.5; [C2H8N]2Na4Ce2[Ce2(H2O)10W28O92(OH)2]·27H2O (3) at pH 2.8-3.3; [C2H8N]2Na7[{α-SW7O28}{Ce2(H2O)6}(W3O6){α-SW9O32}{α-SW9O31(OH)}]·18H2O (4) at pH 2.5; [C2H8N]2Na18[Ce2(H2O)9W36O110(OH)12]2·30H2O (5) at pH 1.5. These compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray structure analysis, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Moreover, their electrochemical properties were investigated. Single-crystal X-ray structure analysis revealed that 1 and 2 were di- and tetra-cerium(III)-bridged polyoxotungstates, constructed from two different types of lacunary {W11} units. 3 composed of the well-known cerium(III)-stabilized {W28} unit and organic amine-sodium-cerium cations, was isolated in the pH range 2.8-3.3. In this reaction system, the SO3(2-) anion acted as a heteroanion template at a lower pH 2.5. 4 was isolated by the combination of cerium(III) centers and SO3(2-) heteroanion template, which is the first lanthanide-containing polyoxotungstates with sulfur heteroatoms, and the 4f metal cerium(III) centers in 4 both have eight-coordinated modes and the SO3(2-) heteroanion templates display μ7 and μ9 coordination modes. At a much lower pH 1.5, the polyanion of 5 was obtained, two triangular-shaped {W36} subunits were bridged by the cerium(III) ions, resulting in the largest lanthanide-containing iso-polyoxotungstates known to date.

Syntheses, structures and properties of two 2-D layered hybrid organic-inorganic materials based on different V4O12 building units

Two new layered hybrid organic-inorganic compounds [Zn(pyim)]2V4O12 () (pyim = 2-(2-pyridyl)imidazole) and [Cu(bim)2]2V4O12(H2O)·CH3CH2OH () (bim = bis(1-imidazolyl)methane) based on polyoxovanadates (POVs) and organic ligands decorated transition metal units have been synthesized by hydrothermal and solvothermal methods respectively. Single crystal XRD, fluorescence spectrum, magnetic measurement, IR spectra, powder XRD and thermogravimetric (TG) measurements were performed to analyze the structures and properties of and . The structural analysis reveals that compound features a two-dimensional {[Zn(pyim)]2V4O12}n layered structure, constructed by sine wave-like {V4O12}n(4n-) chains, Zn(2+) ions and pyim ligands. In the layered structure of , {V4O12}(4-) circles are connected by Cu(2+) ions to form {Cu(V4O12)}n(2n-) chains, which are further linked by {Cu(bim)4}(2+) subunits to generate a hybrid layer of . The magnetic susceptibility measurement indicates strong antiferromagnetic interactions between Cu(2+) ions in .

Discovery of gigantic molecular nanostructures using a flow reaction array as a search engine

The discovery of gigantic molecular nanostructures like coordination and polyoxometalate clusters is extremely time-consuming since a vast combinatorial space needs to be searched, and even a systematic and exhaustive exploration of the available synthetic parameters relies on a great deal of serendipity. Here we present a synthetic methodology that combines a flow reaction array and algorithmic control to give a chemical ‘real-space’ search engine leading to the discovery and isolation of a range of new molecular nanoclusters based on [Mo₂O₂S₂]²⁺-based building blocks with either fourfold (C₄) or fivefold (C₅) symmetry templates and linkers. This engine leads us to isolate six new nanoscale cluster compounds: 1, {Mo₁₀(C₅)}; 2, {Mo₁₄(C₄)₄(C₅)₂}; 3, {Mo₆₀(C₄)₁₀}; 4, {Mo₄₈(C₄)₆}; 5, {Mo₃₄(C₄)₄}; 6, {Mo₁₈(C₄)₉}; in only 200 automated experiments from a parameter space spanning ~5 million possible combinations.

The synthesis of molecular nanostructures often requires the variation of several parameters, such as stoichiometry, pH, counter-ion etc. Here, the authors report a flow reaction array with algorithmic control which is used as a ‘search engine’ to isolate six nanoscale clusters from a massive parameter space.

All-thiol-stabilized Ag44 and Au12Ag32 nanoparticles with single-crystal structures

Noble metal nanoparticles stabilized by organic ligands are important for applications in assembly, site-specific bioconjugate labelling and sensing, drug delivery and medical therapy, molecular recognition and molecular electronics, and catalysis. Here we report crystal structures and theoretical analysis of three Ag44(SR)30 and three Au12Ag32(SR)30 intermetallic nanoclusters stabilized with fluorinated arylthiols (SR=SPhF, SPhF2 or SPhCF3). The nanocluster forms a Keplerate solid of concentric icosahedral and dodecahedral atom shells, protected by six Ag2(SR)5 units. Positive counterions in the crystal indicate a high negative charge of 4(-) per nanoparticle, and density functional theory calculations explain the stability as an 18-electron superatom shell closure in the metal core. Highly featured optical absorption spectra in the ultraviolet-visible region are analysed using time-dependent density functional perturbation theory. This work forms a basis for further understanding, engineering and controlling of stability as well as electronic and optical properties of these novel nanomaterials.

Unprecedented high-nuclear transition-metal-cluster-substituted heteropolyoxoniobates: synthesis by {V8 } ring insertion into the POM matrix and antitumor activities

Reactions of hexaniobate with vanadate in the presence of Ni(2+) , Zn(2+) , or Cu(2+) have furnished three high-nuclear vanadium cluster-substituted heteropolyoxoniobates (HPNs): {Ni(en)3 }5 H{V(V) Nb8 V(IV) 8 O44 }⋅9 H2 O (1), (H2 en)Na2 [{Zn(en)2 (Hen)}{Zn(en)2 (H2 O)}2 {PNb8 V(IV) 8 O44 }]⋅11 H2 O (2), and Na{Cu(en)2 }3 {[Cu(en)2 ]2 [PNb8 V(IV) 8 O44 ]}⋅11 H2 O (3) (en=1,2-diaminoethane). Their structures have been determined and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and elemental analysis. Structural analysis has revealed that compounds 1-3 contain similar {V8 }-substituted [X(V) Nb8 V(IV) 8 O44 ](11-) (X=P, V) clusters, obtained by inserting a {V8 } ring into tetravacant HPN [XNb8 O36 ](27-) . To the best of our knowledge, compounds 1-3 represent the first high-nuclear vanadium cluster-substituted HPNs, and compound 1 is the largest vanadoniobate cluster yet obtained in HPN chemistry. Nickel and zinc cations have been introduced into HPNs for the first time, which might promise a more diverse set of structures in this family. Antitumor studies have indicated that compounds 1 and 2 exhibit high activity against human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells, SC-1680 cells, and MG-63 cells.

Self assembly of carboxylate/alcoholate functionalized ring-shape phosphomolybdates

Carboxylate and alcoholate ligands were covalently attached to a [HPMo₆O₂₁]²⁻ cluster to generate a series of inorganic–organic hybrid phosphomolybdates.

Polyoxometalate based open-frameworks (POM-OFs)

Polyoxometalate-based open frameworks (POM-OFs) are extended architectures incorporating metal-oxide cluster units and comprise an emergent family of materials with a large diversity of topologies, structural flexibility and functionality at the nanoscale.

Proton conductive watery channels constructed by Anderson polyanions and lanthanide coordination cations

An ionic network based on Anderson POM featuring water chains in 1D channels exhibits outstanding proton conductivity.

pH-responsive inorganic–organic hybrid supramolecular hydrogels with jellyfish-like switchable chromic luminescence

A novel hybrid hydrogel, based on electrostatic co-assembly of polyoxometaltate and the ABA triblock copolymers shows both sol–gel transition and luminescence variation in response to pH change.

A polyoxometalate-based complex with visible-light photochromism as the electrocatalyst for generating hydrogen from water

A polyoxometalate-based complex can act as the electrocatalyst for the H₂ evolution reaction (HER) and the HER current is enhanced with visible-light irradiation.