Synthesis and characterization of three tetranuclear clusters containing a [Mo3OS3Sn]6+ cubane-like core.

Area of Science:

• Inorganic Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Coordination Chemistry

Background:

• Molybdenum-sulfur clusters are of interest for their unique structural and electronic properties.
• Heterometallic clusters offer opportunities to tune properties through the incorporation of different metal ions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel heterometallic cubane-like clusters incorporating tin into a molybdenum-sulfur framework.
• To investigate the effect of tin incorporation on the structural and bonding characteristics of the molybdenum trimers.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of three heterometallic clusters ([Mo3OS3Sn]6+ core) via reaction of trimolybdenum precursors with tin(II) chloride.
• Characterization using IR, UV-vis, 31P NMR, 95Mo NMR, and X-ray crystallography.
• Analysis of peripheral ligand arrangements and Mo-Mo bond distances.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized three new heterometallic cubane-like clusters with varying peripheral ligand arrangements.
• X-ray crystallography confirmed the [Mo3OS3Sn]6+ core in all synthesized clusters.
• Incorporation of the SnCl3- fragment led to enhanced Mo-Mo bonding, indicated by shorter Mo-Mo distances compared to the starting trimolybdenum clusters.

Conclusions:

• The study demonstrates the successful synthesis of novel heterometallic cubane-like clusters.
• The results highlight the influence of tin incorporation on the electronic structure and bonding within the molybdenum trimers.
• These findings contribute to the understanding of structure-property relationships in complex inorganic clusters.