[ɛ-PMo12O36(OH)4{La(H2O)4}4]5+: The Firstɛ-PMo12O40 Keggin Ion and Its Association with the Two-Electron-Reducedα-PMo12O40 Isomer

Engineering Highly Reduced Molybdenum Polyoxometalates via the Incorporation of d and f Block Metal Ions

The assembly of nanoscale polyoxometalate (POM) clusters has been dominated by the highly reduced icosahedral {Mo₁₃₂} “browns” and the toroidal {Mo₁₅₄} “blues” which are 45 % and 18 % reduced, respectively. We hypothesised that there is space for a greater diversity of structures in this immediate reduction zone. Here we show it is possible to make highly reduced mix‐valence POMs by presenting new classes of polyoxomolybdates: [Mo^V₅₂Mo^VI₁₂H₂₆O₂₀₀]⁴²⁻ {Mo₆₄} and [Mo^V₄₀Mo^VI₃₀H₃₀O₂₁₅]²⁰⁻ {Mo₇₀}, 81 % and 57 % reduced, respectively. The {Mo₆₄} cluster archetype has a super‐cube structure and is composed of five different types of building blocks, each arranged in overlayed Archimedean or Platonic polyhedra. The {Mo₇₀} cluster comprises five tripodal {Mo^V₆} and five tetrahedral {Mo^V₂Mo^VI₂} building blocks alternatively linked to form a loop with a pentagonal star topology. We also show how the reaction yielding the {Mo₆₄} super‐cube can be used in the enrichment of lanthanides which exploit the differences in selectivity in the self‐assembly of the polyoxometalates.

Beyond Charge Balance: Counter-Cations in Polyoxometalate Chemistry

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are molecular metal-oxide anions applied in energy conversion and storage, manipulation of biomolecules, catalysis, as well as materials design and assembly. Although often overlooked, the interplay of intrinsically anionic POMs with organic and inorganic cations is crucial to control POM self-assembly, stabilization, solubility, and function. Beyond simple alkali metals and ammonium, chemically diverse cations including dendrimers, polyvalent metals, metal complexes, amphiphiles, and alkaloids allow tailoring properties for known applications, and those yet to be discovered. This review provides an overview of fundamental POM-cation interactions in solution, the resulting solid-state compounds, and behavior and properties that emerge from these POM-cation interactions. We will explore how application-inspired research has exploited cation-controlled design to discover new POM materials, which in turn has led to the quest for fundamental understanding of POM-cation interactions.

A novel hexanuclear titanium(iv)-oxo-iminodiacetate cluster with a Ti6O9 core: single-crystal structure and photocatalytic activities

A new family of hexanuclear titanium(iv)-oxo-carboxylate cluster K7H[Ti6O9(ida)6]Cl2·13H2O {Ti6O9} has been synthesized via the H2O2-assisted reaction between TiCl4 and iminodiacetate ligands. This cluster was fully characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and a wide range of analytical methods, including FT-IR, UV/vis spectroscopy as well as electrochemistry and thermogravimetric analysis. As a new type of carboxylate substituted Ti-oxo-cluster, the structural motif of the {Ti6O9} cluster consists of one symmetric {Ti6O6} hexagonal prism with two staggered triangular {Ti3O3} subunits linked by three μ2-O bridges. The {Ti6O9} polyanions are linked by K(+) cations to form a novel 3D architecture. The structural information and stability of the {Ti6O9} polyanion in aqueous solution were thoroughly investigated by solid-state/solution NMR, ESI-MS spectroscopy. Moreover, this Ti-oxo cluster exhibits remarkable potential as a visible-light homogeneous photocatalyst for degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). Finally, a proposed peroxotitanium(iv)-mediated photocatalytic pathway involved is illustrated by spectroscopic data.

Polyoxometalate-conductive polymer composites for energy conversion, energy storage and nanostructured sensors

The exchange of electric charges between a chemical reaction centre and an external electrical circuit is critical for many real-life technologies. This perspective explores the "wiring" of highly redox-active molecular metal oxide anions, so-called polyoxometalates (POMs) to conductive organic polymers (CPs). The major synthetic approaches to these organic-inorganic hybrid materials are reviewed. Typical applications are highlighted, emphasizing the current bottlenecks in materials development. Utilization of the composites in the fields of energy conversion, electrochemical energy storage, sensors and nanoparticle "wiring" into conductive materials are discussed. The outlook section presents the authors' views on emerging fields of research where the combination of POMs and CPs can be expected to provide novel materials for groundbreaking new technologies. These include light-weight energy storage, high-sensitivity toxin sensors, artificial muscles, photoelectrochemical devices and components for fuel cells.

Tetra- to dodecanuclear oxomolybdate complexes with functionalized bisphosphonate ligands: activity in killing tumor cells

We report the synthesis and characterization of five novel Mo-containing polyoxometalate (POM) bisphosphonate complexes with nuclearities ranging from 4 to 12 and with fully reduced, fully oxidized, or mixed-valent (Mo(V), Mo(VI)) molybdenum, in which the bisphosphonates bind to the POM cluster through their two phosphonate groups and a deprotonated 1-OH group. The compounds were synthesized in water by treating [Mo(V)(2)O(4)(H(2)O)(6)](2+) or [Mo(VI)O(4)](2-) with H(2)O(3)PC(C(3)H(6)NH(2))OPO(3)H(2) (alendronic acid) or its aminophenol derivative, and were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and (31)P NMR spectroscopy. (NH(4))(6)[(Mo(V)(2)O(4))(Mo(VI)(2)O(6))(2)(O(3)PC(C(3)H(6)NH(3))OPO(3))(2)]·12H(2)O (1) is an insoluble mixed-valent species. [(C(2)H(5))(2)NH(2)](4)[Mo(V)(4)O(8)(O(3)PC(C(3)H(6)NH(3))OPO(3))(2)]·6H(2)O (2) and [(C(2)H(5))(2)NH(2)](6)[Mo(V)(4)O(8)(O(3)PC(C(10)H(14)NO)OPO(3))(2)]·18H(2)O (4) contain similar tetranuclear reduced frameworks. Li(8)[(Mo(V)(2)O(4)(H(2)O))(4)(O(3)PC(C(3)H(6)NH(3))OPO(3))(4)]·45H(2)O (3) and Na(2)Rb(6)[(Mo(VI)(3)O(8))(4)(O(3)PC(C(3)H(6)NH(3))OPO(3))(4)]·26H(2)O (5) are alkali metal salts of fully reduced octanuclear and fully oxidized dodecanuclear POMs, respectively. The activities of 2-5 (which are water-soluble) against three human tumor cell lines were investigated in vitro. Although 2-4 have weak but measurable activity, 5 has IC(50) values of about 10 μM, which is about four times the activity of the parent alendronate molecule on a per-alendronate basis, which opens up the possibility of developing novel drug leads based on Mo bisphosphonate clusters.