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Updated: May 21, 2025

Synthesis and Characterization of Functionalized Metal-organic Frameworks
Published on: September 5, 2014
Compression of Molybdenum Blue Polyoxometalate Cluster Rings
Vishal Lakhanpal1, Melanie Guillén-Soler1, Laia Vilà-Nadal1
1School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
The self-assembly of polyoxometalate (POM) clusters remains challenging because they heavily depend on highly sensitive synthetic conditions that produce a vast library of potential building blocks and subunits such that explicit control is hard. This work reports new strategies to construct compressed molybdenum blue (MB) type cluster rings with a new range of giant MB POM clusters {Mo54}, {Mo58}, {Mo85}, and {Mo108}. These MB clusters prove the limits of the ring structure archetype, showing that it is possible to compress the ring by 100 metal atoms from 154 to 54 yet keep the electronic structure and ring shape. These structures comprise distorted pentagonal building blocks. The compression of the ring is achieved by using a {Mo3S} unit and {Mo5} bridging units. The {Mo85} and {Mo108} clusters exhibit a unique closed architecture, and redox studies demonstrate the reduced nature of these clusters.
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