Experimental and Computational Study of the Framework Fluxionality of Organometallic Derivatives of Polyoxometalates: Analysis of the Effect of the Metal and of the Solvent

Microporosity and Catalytic Activity for Hydrodesulfurization of Pharmacosiderite Mo4P3O16 Synthesized at a Moderate Temperature

Pharmacosiderite Mo4P3O16 (Pharma-MoPO) consists of [Mo4O4] cubane unit and [PO4] tetrahedral to form an open framework with a microporous structure similar to that of LTA-type zeolite. Although attractive applications are expected due to its microporous structure and redox-active components, its physicochemical properties have been poorly investigated due to the specificity of its synthesis, which requires a high hydrothermal synthesis temperature of 360 °C. In this study, we succeeded in synthesizing Pharma-MoPO by hydrothermal synthesis at 230 °C, which can be applied using a commercially available autoclave by changing the metal source. Through the study of the solids and liquids obtained after hydrothermal syntheses, the formation process of Pharma-MoPO under our studied synthesis conditions was proposed. Advanced characterizations provided detailed structural information on Pharma-MoPO, including the location site of a countercation NH4+. Pharma-MoPO could adsorb CO2 with the amount close to the number of cages without removing NH4+. Pharma-MoPO exhibited stable catalytic activity for the hydrodesulfurization of thiophene while maintaining its crystal structure, except for the introduction of sulfide by replacing lattice oxygens. Pharmacosiderite Mo4P3O16 was successfully obtained by hydrothermal synthesis at a moderate temperature, and its microporosity for CO2 adsorption and catalytic properties for hydrodesulfurization were discovered.

Reactivity of Organoiridium Tungsten Oxide Clusters with Transition Metal Aquo Cations

Organometallic-polyoxometalate (POM) complexes form a unique class of molecular organometallic oxides characterized by the dynamic behavior of the organometallic cations. Herein, we investigated the reactivity of Cp*Ir-octatungstate clusters (where Cp* represents pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, C5Me5-) with Werner-type transition-metal aquo cations. The addition of Ag+, Co2+, Ni2+, and M3+ (M = Cr, Fe, or In) cations to the aqueous solution of Cp*Ir-octatungstate clusters resulted in the formation of [{Ag(OH2)2}2{Cp*Ir(OH2)}2{Cp*IrW3O12(OH)}2(WO2)2] (1), Co1.5K0.8Na0.2[{trans-Co(OH2)2}{Cp*IrW3O12(OH)}2(WO2)1.3{cis-Co(OH2)2}0.7] (2-Co), Ni0.2K1.4Na0.2[{Ni(OH2)4}2{Cp*IrW3O12(OH)}2(WO2)1.1{cis-Ni(OH2)2}0.9] (2-Ni), and [{M(OH2)4}2{Cp*IrW3O12(OH)}2{cis-M(OH2)2}2](NO3)2 (M = Cr, 3-Cr; Fe, 3-Fe; or In, 3-In), respectively. All clusters share the same cubane-type {Cp*IrW3O12(OH)}5- building block, representing the first examples of organoiridium-POMs functionalized by transition-metal aquo cations. These compounds are insoluble in water, facilitating the evaluation of their heterogeneous water-oxidation properties. Notably, 2-Co generates the highest catalytic water oxidation current. This work provides a new synthetic method to introduce metal-aquo complexes on an organometallic oxide cluster, producing multimetallic molecules that model the catalytic sites of complex oxides.

Molar-Ratio-Dependent Coordination Assembly of Organoiridium(III)-Octatungstate Complexes in Aqueous Solution

We scrutinized the speciation of Cp*Ir-containing tungsten oxide clusters (Cp* is pentamethylcyclopentadienyl anion) in aqueous mixtures of [(Cp*IrCl)₂(μ-Cl)₂] and Na₂WO₄ in varying molar ratios. ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy revealed the formation of three distinct Cp*Ir-polyoxotungstate species in the reaction solution, and they were isolated as Na₄[(Cp*Ir)₂(μ-OH)₃]₂[(Cp*Ir)₂H₂W₈O₃₀] (1), [(Cp*Ir)₂(μ-OH)₃]₂[(Cp*Ir)₂{Cp*Ir(OH₂)}₂H₂W₈O₃₀] (2), and [(Cp*Ir)₂{Cp*Ir(OH₂)}₂{Cp*Ir(OH₂)₂}₂H₂W₈O₃₀](NO₃)₂ (3) from the mixtures in which iridium concentration is less than, equal to, and more than the tungsten concentration, respectively. These results show the octatungstate [H₂W₈O₃₀]^10- anion is the major polyoxotungstate species in the presence of {Cp*Ir}²⁺ cations, and it has high nucleophilicity enough to bind up to six {Cp*Ir}²⁺ cations on its surfaces producing a cationic Cp*Ir-octatungstate complex. The octatungstate anion was also generated from the reaction of [(Cp*IrCl)₂(μ-Cl)₂] and methylammonium paratungstate-B, (CH₃NH₃)₁₀[H₂W₁₂O₄₂], and was isolated as a methylamine-coordinated complex (CH₃NH₃)₂[(Cp*Ir)₂{Cp*Ir(NH₂CH₃)}₂H₂W₈O₃₀] (4), indicating {Cp*Ir}²⁺ cations function as a structure-directing agent that converts tungsten species into octatungstate anions in aqueous solution. In addition, the coordination environment of {Cp*Ir}²⁺ can be further modified by coordination with pyridine forming [{Cp*Ir(NC₅H₅)}₂(μ-OH)₂][(Cp*Ir)₂{Cp*Ir(NC₅H₅)}₂H₂W₈O₃₀] (5).

Polyoxometalate-Assisted, One-Pot Synthesis of a Pentakis[(triphenylphosphane)gold]ammonium(2+) Cation Containing Regular Trigonal-Bipyramidal Geometries of Five Bonds to Nitrogen

Novel intercluster compounds consisting of pentakis[(triphenylphosphane)gold]ammonium(2+) cation (1) and Keggin polyoxometalate (POM) anions, i.e., {[Au(PPh₃)]₅(μ₅-N)}₃[α-PM₁₂O₄₀]₂ (1-PW for M = W; 1-PMo for M = Mo), were synthesized in 30-36% yield by one-pot reaction of the protonic acid form of the Keggin POMs, H₃[α-PM₁₂O₄₀]·nH₂O (n = 13 for M = W; n = 15 for M = Mo) with monomeric (triphenylphosphane)gold(I) carboxylate [Au(RS-pyrrld)(PPh₃)] [RS-Hpyrrld = (RS)-2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid] in the presence of aqueous NH₃ at a molar ratio of 2:15:x (x = 3 for 1-PW; x = 7.5 for 1-PMo). These compounds resulted from the nitrogen-centered phosphanegold(I) clusterization of in situ generated monomeric phosphanegold(I) units, [Au(PPh₃)]⁺ or [Au(L)(PPh₃)]⁺ (L = NH₃ or solvent), during the carboxylate elimination of [Au(RS-pyrrld)(PPh₃)] in the presence of the Keggin POMs and aqueous NH₃. The products 1-PW and 1-PMo were characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses (TGA/DTA), X-ray crystallography, and solid-state cross-polarization magic-angle-spinning (CPMAS) (³¹P and ¹⁵N) and solution (³¹P{¹H} and ¹H) NMR spectroscopy. The lattice contained three independent {[Au(PPh₃)]₅(μ₅-N)}²⁺ cations, of which two took regular trigonal-bipyramidal (TBP) geometries and the third took a distorted, square-pyramidal (SP) geometry. These geometries are in contrast to those reported by Schmidbaur's group for {[Au(PPh₃)]₅(μ₅-N)}²⁺ cations as BF₄ salts. Density functional theory and ONIOM calculations for {[(L₃P)Au]_nN}^(n-3)+ (L = H or Ph; n = 4-6) showed that the pentacoordinate cluster is energetically most stable and its TBP structure is only 1.6 kcal mol^-1 more stable than its SP structure, in accordance with the experimental facts.

The effect of counteranions on the molecular structures of phosphanegold(i) cluster cations formed by polyoxometalate (POM)-mediated clusterization

The effect of counteranions on the molecular structures of phosphanegold(i) cluster cations formed by polyoxometalate (POM)-mediated clusterization was investigated. A novel intercluster compound, [{(AuLCl)2(μ-OH)}2]3[α-PMo12O40]2·3EtOH (1-PMo12), was obtained as orange-yellow plate crystals in 12.0% yield from a 6 : 1 molar ratio reaction of the monomeric phosphanegold(i) carboxylato complex [Au(RS-pyrrld)(LCl)] (RS-Hpyrrld = RS-2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid; LCl = tris(4-chlorophenyl)phosphane) in CH2Cl2 with the free acid-form of Keggin polyoxometalate (POM), H3[α-PMo12O40]·14H2O. An EtOH/H2O (5 : 1, v/v) solvent mixture was used. The dimeric cation [{(AuLCl)2(μ-OH)}2](2+) in 1-PMo12 was in a parallel-edge arrangement that was formed by self-assembly through the inter-cationic aurophilic interactions of the μ-OH-bridged dinuclear phosphanegold(i) cation. The POM anion in 1-PMo12 was successfully exchanged with a smaller PF6(-) anion by the use of an anion-exchange resin. POM-free, colorless block crystals of [{(AuLCl)3(μ3-O)}2](PF6)2·4CH2Cl2 (2-PF6) were obtained by vapor diffusion in 14.1% yield. During the synthesis of 2-PF6, a compound with mixed counteranions (one POM and one PF6(-) anion), i.e. [{(AuLCl)4(μ4-O)}]2[α-PMo12O40]PF6 (3-PMo12PF6), was obtained in 66.4% yield. Both products were characterized by elemental analysis, TG/DTA, FT-IR, (31)P{(1)H} NMR, (1)H NMR, and X-ray crystallography. X-ray crystallography revealed that the countercation in 2-PF6 was the dimeric cation of the μ3-O-bridged tris{phosphanegold(i)} species, whereas that in 3-PMo12PF6 consisted of an unusual μ4-O-bridged tetragonal-pyramidal tetrakis{phosphanegold(i)} cation. Therefore, we concluded that the POM anion significantly contributed to the stabilization of these countercations (parallel-edged arrangement in 1-PMo12 and μ4-O-bridged tetragonal-pyramid in 3-PMo12PF6). Moreover, the previously reported yellow crystals of [{(AuLF)2(μ-OH)}2]3[PMo12O40]2·3EtOH (4-PMo12: LF = tris(4-fluoro phenyl)phosphane) were successfully converted to the POM-free crystalline OTf(-) salt [{(AuLF)2(μ-OH)}2](OTf)2·0.5Et2O (4-OTf) by the use of an anion-exchange resin. X-ray crystallography also revealed that the parallel-edge arrangement of the dimeric cation in 4-PMo12 was converted to the crossed-edge arrangement of that in 4-OTf. These results illustrate that the AuOPOM and hydrogen-bonding (C-HOPOM and O-HOPOM) interactions between the phosphanegold(i) cluster cation and the Keggin POM anion in the solid state significantly contribute to the structure, composition, and stability of the phosphane gold(i) cluster cations in 4-PMo12.

Synthesis and Molecular Structure of a Water-Soluble, Dimeric Tri-Titanium(IV)-Substituted Wells-Dawson Polyoxometalate Containing Two Bridging (C5Me5)Rh2+ Groups

A novel trititanium(IV)-substituted Wells-Dawson polyoxometalate (POM)-based organometallic complex, i.e., a dimeric POM containing two bridging Cp*Rh(2+) groups (Cp* = C5Me5) or [{α-P2W15Ti3O60(OH)2}2(Cp*Rh)2](16-) (D-1) with Ci symmetry, was synthesized in an analytically pure form by a 1:2 -molar ratio reaction of the organometallic precursor [Cp*RhCl2]2 with the separately prepared, monomeric trititanium(IV)-substituted Wells-Dawson POM, "[P2W15Ti3O59(OH)3](9-)" (M-1). The crystalline sample (NaK-D-1) of the water-soluble, mixed sodium/potassium salt of D-1 was obtained in the 14.7% yield, which has been characterized by complete elemental analysis, TG/DTA, FTIR, single-crystal X-ray structure analysis, and solution ((183)W, (31)P, (1)H and (13)C{(1)H}) NMR spectroscopy. Single-crystal X-ray structure analysis revealed that the two species of the protonated Wells-Dawson subunits, "[P2W15Ti3O60(OH)2](10-)" were bridged by the two Cp*Rh(2+) groups, resulting in the an overall Ci symmetry. The Cp*Rh(2+) groups were linked to the two terminal oxygen atoms of the titanium(IV) sites and one edge-sharing oxygen atom of the surface Ti-O-Ti bond. The (183)W NMR of D-1 dissolved in D2O showed that its solution structure was represented as a dimeric POM with a formula of [{α-P2W15Ti3O60(OH)3}2{Cp*Rh(OH)}2](16-) (D-2) with Ci (or S2) symmetry. A trititanium(IV)-substituted Wells-Dawson POM-supported organometallic complex has never been reported so far, and thus D-1 in the solid state and D-2 in solution are the first example of this type of complex.

Structure, properties and reactivity of polyoxometalates: a theoretical perspective

In the thematic review dedicated to polyoxometalate (POM) chemistry published in Chemical Reviews in 1998, no contribution was devoted to theory. This is not surprising because computational modelling of molecular metal-oxide clusters was in its infancy at that time. Nowadays, the situation has completely changed and modern computational methods have been successfully applied to study the structure, electronic properties, spectroscopy and reactivity of POM clusters. Indeed, the progress achieved during the past decade has been spectacular and herein we critically review the most important papers to provide the reader with an almost complete perspective of the field.