When Identification of the Reduction Sites in Mixed Molybdenum/Tungsten Keggin-Type Polyoxometalate Hybrids Turns Out Tricky.

The mixed molybdenum/tungsten Keggin-type polyoxometalate (POM) hybrid (TBA)4[PW9Mo2O39{Sn(C6H4I)}] (TBA = tert-butylammonium) has been prepared by the reaction between [α-PW9Mo2O39]7- and [Cl3Sn(C6H4I)] in dried acetonitrile, in the presence of tetra-n-butylammonium bromide. A further coupling reaction affords the ferrocenyl derivative (TBA)4[PW9Mo2O39{Sn(C6H4)C≡C(C6H4)Fc}]. The POM hybrids have been thoroughly characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopies. Electrochemical analysis confirms their ease of reduction compared to the all-W analogue, albeit with a second reduction process occurring at a lower potential than in the all-Mo species. It is noteworthy that the second reduction is accompanied by an unusual red shift of the electronic absorption spectrum. Whereas there is no doubt that the first reduction deals with Mo, the location of the second electron in the bireduced species, on the second Mo or on W, has thus been the subject of a cross-investigation by spectroelectrochemistry, electron spin resonance, and theoretical calculations. Finally, it came out that the second reduction is also Mo-centered with two unpaired and antiferromagnetically coupled extra electrons.

Single ion magnets based on lanthanoid polyoxomolybdate complexes.

Polyoxometalate (POM) chemistry has recently offered excellent examples of single ion magnets (SIMs) and molecular spin qubits. Compared with conventional coordination compounds, POMs provide rigid and highly symmetric coordination sites. However, all POM-based SIMs reported to date exhibit a very limited range of possibilities for chemical processability. We present herein two new families of POM-based SIMs which are soluble in organic solvents: [Ln(ß-Mo8O26)2]5- {LnIII = Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm and Yb} and the functionalised POMs [Ln{Mo5O13(OMe)4NNC6H4-p-NO2}2]3- {LnIII = Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb and Nd}. In addition, these two families represent the first SIMs based on polyoxomolybdates. A magneto-structural analysis of these families is presented, which is based on an effective crystal field model, and compared with the results reported in analogous lanthanoid SIMs based on polyoxotungstates.

Densely Packed Hydrophobic Clustering: Encapsulated Valerates Form a High-Temperature-Stable {Mo132 } Capsule System.

Porous molecular nanocontainers of {Mo132 }-type Keplerates offer unique opportunities to study a wide variety of relevant phenomena. An impressive example is provided by the highly reactive {Mo132 -CO3 } capsule, the reaction of which with valeric acid results in the very easy release of carbon dioxide and the uptake of 24 valerate ions/ligands that are integrated as a densely packed aggregate, thus indicating the unique possibility of hydrophobic clustering inside the cavity. Two-dimensional NMR techniques were used to demonstrate the presence of the 24 valerates and the stability of the capsule up to ca. 100 °C. Increasing the number of hydrophobic parts enhances the stability of the whole system. This situation also occurs in biological systems, such as globular proteins or protein pockets.

A unique fluoride nanocontainer: porous molecular capsules can accommodate an unusually high number of "rather labile" fluoride anions.

The present work refers to the challenging issue of fluoride anion recognition/binding in water by taking advantage of the unique possibilities offered by the porous molecular nanocontainers of the {Mo132} Keplerate type allowing the study of a variety of new phenomena. Reaction of the highly reactive carbonate-type capsule with aqueous HF results in the release of carbon dioxide and integration of an unprecedentedly large number of fluoride anions--partly as coordinated ligands at both the pentagonal units and the linkers, partly as a disordered water/fluoride assembly inside the cavity. The internal assembly and some of the fluoride ligands are easily released, which provides interesting options for future studies regarding coordination chemistry and catalysis under confined conditions.

Porous capsules with a large number of active sites: nucleation/growth under confined conditions.

This work deals with the generation of large numbers of active sites and with ensuing nucleation/ growth processes on the inside wall of the cavity of porous nanocapsules of the type (pentagon)12(linker)30≡{(Mo(VI))Mo(VI)5}12{Mo(V)2(ligand)}30. A first example refers to sulfur dioxide capture through displacement of acetate ligands, while the grafted sulfite ligands are able to trap {MoO3H}(+) units thereby forming unusual {(O2SO)3MoO3H}(5-) assemblies. A second example relates to the generation of open coordination sites through release of carbon dioxide upon mild acidification of a carbonate-type capsule. When the reaction is performed in the presence of heptamolybdate ions, MoO4(2-) ions enter the cavity where they bind to the inside wall while forming new types of polyoxomolybdate architectures, thereby extending the molybdenum oxide skeleton of the capsule. Parallels can be drawn with Mo-storage proteins and supported MoO3 catalysts, making the results relevant to molybdenum biochemistry and to catalysis.

Hedgehog-shaped {Mo368} cluster: unique electronic/structural properties, surfactant encapsulation and related self-assembly into vesicles and films.

The hedgehog-shaped {Mo368} cluster shows unique electronic (extremely high extinction coefficient) and structural features, especially regarding its size, the high number of delocalized electrons which allows to measure the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectrum and the option for coordination chemistry inside the cavity. Its relative instability in aqueous solution can be overcome by embedment in a hydrophobic shell of dimethyldioctadecylammonium cations. The resulting hybrid self-assembles into spherical vesicles in acetone-water mixtures, according to a process directed by hydrophobic-hydrophilic interactions. It also forms rather stable Langmuir monolayers while a second layer evolves under higher surface pressure, in accordance with a rather low alkyl surface density.

Capsules with highly active pores and interiors: versatile platforms at the nanoscale.

Spherical porous capsules offer new exciting approaches in chemistry, materials sciences, and in context of physical and biological phenomena. The underlying concepts are reported with particular emphasis on metal oxide based capsules of the {M132 } Keplerate type which display-due to their exceptional structural features and easy variation/derivatization as well as exchange of building units-an unmatched range of properties and offer unique opportunities for investigating a variety of basic aspects of nanoscience, including the discovery of some new phenomena, especially those related to hydrophobicity issues that are of significance for everyday life. This relies in particular on the existence of a large number of flexible crown ether type pores/channels and the possibility of changing the interior from completely hydrophilic to completely hydrophobic due to the presence of numerous easily exchangeable internal ligands/functionalities; the capsules can even be constructed so that they enclose a large number of highly active Lewis and Brønsted acid sites. The manifold of possible applications/uses are outlined as subtitles with reference to results as well as possible future studies. There are, among many others, options to control passing cations under different internal frames allowing also their separations, to conduct studies about hydrophobic recognitions and clustering of biological interest in water, controlled internal ion transport, nanoscale dewetting, and to carry out basic as well as new types of reactions under confined conditions.

A further step towards tuning the properties of metal-chalcogenide nanocapsules by replacing skeletal oxide by sulphide ligands.

Addition of [Mo(2)(V)O(2)(µ-O)(µ-S)(aq)](2+) linker-type units to a solution/dynamic library containing tungstates results via the formation of the complementary pentagonal {(W)W(5)} units logically in the self-assembly of a mixed oxide/sulphide {W(VI)(72)Mo(V)(60)}-type Keplerate, thereby demonstrating the ability to tune the capsule's skeletal softness (the (µ-O)(2) and (µ-S)(2) scenarios are known) and providing options to influence differently important capsule-substrate interactions.

From linking of metal-oxide building blocks in a dynamic library to giant clusters with unique properties and towards adaptive chemistry.

Following Nature's lessons, today chemists can cross the boundary of the small molecule world to construct multifunctional and highly complex molecular nano-objects up to protein size and even cell-like nanosystems showing responsive sensing. Impressive examples emerge from studies of the solutions of some oxoanions of the early transition metals especially under reducing conditions which enable the controlled linking of metal-oxide building blocks. The latter are available from constitutional dynamic libraries, thus providing the option to generate multifunctional unique nanoscale molecular systems with exquisite architectures, which even opens the way towards adaptive and evolutive (Darwinian) chemistry. The present review presents the first comprehensive report of current knowledge (including synthesis aspects not discussed before) regarding the related giant metal-oxide clusters mainly of the type {Mo(57)M'(6)} (M' = Fe(III), V(IV)) (torus structure), {M(72)M'(30)} (M = Mo, M' = V(IV), Cr(III), Fe(III), Mo(V)), {M(72)Mo(60)} (M = Mo, W) (Keplerates), {Mo(154)}, {Mo(176)}, {Mo(248)} ("big wheels"), and {Mo(368)} ("blue lemon") - all having the important transferable pentagonal {(M)M(5)} groups in common. These discoveries expanded the frontiers of inorganic chemistry to the mesoscopic world, while there is probably no collection of discrete inorganic compounds which offers such a versatile chemistry and the option to study new phenomena of interdisciplinary interest. The variety of different properties of the sphere- and wheel-type metal-oxide-based clusters can directly be related to their unique architectures: The spherical Keplerate-type capsules having 20 crown-ether-type pores and tunable internal functionalities allow the investigation of confined matter as well as that of sphere-surface-supramolecular and encapsulation chemistry - including related new aspects of the biologically important hydrophobic effects - but also of nanoscale ion transport and separation. The wheel-type molybdenum-oxide clusters exhibiting complex landscapes do not only have well-defined reaction sites but also show unprecedented adaptability regarding the integration of various kinds of matter. Applications in different fields, e.g. in materials science and catalysis including those in small spaces, investigated by several groups, are discussed while possible directions for future work are outlined.

Synthesis, crystal structure and magnetism of new salicylamidoxime-based hexanuclear manganese(III) single-molecule magnets.

Salicylamidoxime was used to synthesize 13 new polynuclear Mn(III) complexes. We present the crystallographic structures, the magnetic susceptibility and the magnetization measurements of eight of them (1-8) with the general formula [Mn(6)O(2)(H(2)N-sao)(6)(L)(2)(solvent)(4-6)] (L = carboxylate, chloride, 2-cyanophenolate; solvent = H(2)O, MeOH, EtOH, py). These complexes consist of two trinuclear {Mn(III)(3)(µ(3)-O)(H(2)N-sao)(3)}(+) cationic units linked together via two oximate and two phenolate oxygen atoms. All behave as single-molecule magnets, with the spin ground state varying from 4 to 12 and anisotropy energy barriers from 24 to 86 K, the latter being as high as the present record barrier in the Mn(6) complexes. DFT calculations were performed to compute the exchange magnetic coupling constants J between the metallic ions and to provide an orbital interpretation of exchange. Our results are in line with previously reported results with the parent salicylaldoxime derivatives. The Mn-N-O-Mn torsion angle appears as the main parameter controlling the J values. The critical angle where the exchange coupling between two Mn(III) switches from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic is 27°, less than the one found in related complexes with salicylaldoxime (30°). We propose a structural classification of the {Mn(6)} complexes in four classes depending on the coordination of the axial carboxylate. The work points out the structural flexibility of such systems, their sensitivity to solvent effects and their ability to achieve high anisotropy energy barriers by simple desolvation.

Functionalization and post-functionalization: a step towards polyoxometalate-based materials.

Polyoxometalates (POMs) have remarkable properties and a great deal of potential to meet contemporary societal demands regarding health, environment, energy and information technologies. However, implementation of POMs in various functional architectures, devices or materials requires a processing step. Most developments have considered the exchange of POM counterions in an electrostatically driven approach: immobilization of POMs on electrodes and other surfaces including oxides, embedding in polymers, incorporation into Layer-by-Layer assemblies or Langmuir-Blodgett films and hierarchical self-assembly of surfactant-encapsulated POMs have thus been thoroughly investigated. Meanwhile, the field of organic-inorganic POM hybrids has expanded and offers the opportunity to explore the covalent approach for the organization or immobilization of POMs. In this critical review, we focus on the use of POM hybrids in selected fields of applications such as catalysis, energy conversion and molecular nanosciences and we endeavor to discuss the impact of the covalent approach compared to the electrostatic one. The synthesis of organic-inorganic POM hybrids starting from bare POMs, that is the direct functionalization of POMs, is well documented and reliable and efficient synthetic procedures are available. However, as the complexity of the targeted functional system increases a multi-step strategy relying on the post-functionalization of preformed hybrid POM platforms could prove more appealing. In the second part of this review, we thus survey the synthetic methodologies of post-functionalization of POMs and critically discuss the opportunities it offers compared to direct functionalization.

Spontaneous self-assembly of a giant spherical metal-oxide Keplerate: addition of one building block induces "immediate" formation of the complementary one from a constitutional dynamic library.

The addition of dinuclear {Mo(2)} units to a dynamic library containing molybdates results in the spontaneous self-assembly of a giant spherical metal-oxide species of the type {(Mo)Mo(5)}(12){Mo(2)}(30) while the required pentagonal {(Mo)Mo(5)} building blocks are "immediately" formed.

Reduced molybenum-oxide-based core-shell hybrids: "blue" electrons are delocalized on the shell.

The present study refers to a variety of reduced metal-oxide core-shell hybrids, which are unique with regard to their electronic structure, their geometry, and their formation. They contain spherical {Mo72Fe30} Keplerate-type shells encapsulating Keggin-type polyoxomolybdates based on very weak interactions. Studies on the encapsulation of molybdosilicate as well as on the earlier reported molybdophosphate, coupled with the use of several physical methods for the characterization led to unprecedented results (see title). Upon standing in air at room temperature, acidified aqueous solutions obtained by dissolving sodium molybdate, iron(II) chloride, acetic acid, and molybdosilicic acid led to the precipitation of monoclinic greenish crystals (1). A rhombohedral variant (2) has also been observed. Upon drying at room temperature, compound 3 with a layer structure was obtained from 1 in a solid-state reaction based on cross-linking of the shells. The compounds 1, 2, and 3 have been characterized by a combination of methods including single-crystal X-ray crystallography, magnetic studies, as well as IR, Mössbauer, (resonance) Raman, and electronic absorption spectroscopy. In connection with detailed studies of the guest-free two-electron-reduced {Mo72Fe30}-type Keplerate (4) and of the previously reported molybdophosphate-based hybrids (including 31P NMR spectroscopy results), it is unambiguously proved that 1, 2, and 3 contain non-reduced Keggin ion cores and reduced {Mo72Fe30}-type shells. The results are discussed in terms of redox considerations (the shell as well as the core can be reduced) including those related to the reduction of "molybdates" by FeII being of interdisciplinary including catalytic interest (the MoVI/MoV and FeIII/FeII couples have very close redox potentials!), while also referring to the special formation of the hybrids based on chemical Darwinism.

A new family of oxime-based hexanuclear manganese(III) single molecule magnets with high anisotropy energy barriers.

A magneto-structural study of two salicylamidoxime-based {Mn(6)} single-molecule magnets revealed that their anisotropy energy barriers, which can reach the current record for d-transition metal complexes, are strongly dependent upon the precise arrangement of ligands and the solvation state.

Electroactive benzothiazole hydrazones and their [Mo6O19]2- derivatives: promising building blocks for conducting molecular materials.

The electroactive benzothiazole hydrazone AMBTH-H(2), a new member of the 2,2'-azino-bis(N-alkylbenzothiazole) family, was synthesised in a five-step procedure and characterised by using X-ray diffraction along with two intermediates and the N-methylbenzothiazole hydrazone MBTH-H(2). Both AMBTH-H(2) and MBTH-H(2) were coupled to [Mo(6)O(19)](2-) in acetonitrile in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and dimethylaminopyridine to give two new diazoalkane-hexamolybdates, which were isolated as tetrabutylammonium salts and characterised by using IR, UV/Vis and NMR spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry and, for one of them, X-ray diffraction. The packing arrangement molecules in crystals of AMBTH-H(2), the redox features of the AMBTH-hexamolybdate hybrid together with a good electronic communication between the organic pi system and the molybdenum centres make these compounds very promising blocks for the synthesis of conducting molecular materials.

Organosilyl/-germyl polyoxotungstate hybrids for covalent grafting onto silicon surfaces: towards molecular memories.

Organosilyl/-germyl polyoxotungstate hybrids [PW(9)O(34)(tBuSiO)(3)Ge(CH(2))(2)CO(2)H](3-) (1a), [PW(9)O(34)(tBuSiO)(3)Ge(CH(2))(2)CONHCH(2)C[triple bond]CH](3-) (2 a), [PW(11)O(39)Ge(CH(2))(2)CO(2)H](4-) (3a), and [PW(11)O(39)Ge(CH(2))(2)CONHCH(2)C[triple bond]CH](4-) (4a) have been prepared as tetrabutylammonium salts and characterized in solution by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. The crystal structure of (NBu(4))(3)1a.H(2)O has been determined and the electrochemical behavior of 1a and 2a has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry. Covalent grafting of 2a onto an n-type silicon wafer has been achieved and the electrochemical behavior of the grafted clusters has been investigated. This represents the first example of covalent grafting of Keggin-type clusters onto a Si surface and a step towards the realization of POM-based multilevel memory devices.

Vectorial growth/regulations in a {P8W48}-type polyoxotungstate compartment: trapped unusual molybdenum oxide acts as a handle.

Reaction of the cyclic {P(8)W(48)} polyoxotungstate host with sodium molybdate in solution in the presence of a reducing agent leads to the formation and stabilization of unprecedented neutral {Mo(V)(4)O(10)(H(2)O)(3)} aggregates with handle function, thereby proving the potential of the present host for performing future interesting studies related to mixed-valence type chemistry under confined conditions.

Molybdenum-oxide based unique polyprotic nanoacids showing different deprotonations and related assembly processes in solution.

We report the self-assembly processes in solution of three Keplerate-type molybdenum-oxide based clusters {Mo72V30}, {Mo72Cr30} and {Mo72Fe30} (all with diameters of approximately 2.5 nm). These clusters behave as unique weak polyprotic acids owing to the external water ligands attached to the non-Mo metal centers. Whereas the Cr and Fe clusters have 30 water ligands attached at the 30 M3+ centers pointing outside, {Mo72V30} has 20 water ligands coordinated to vanadium atoms, of which only 10 are pointing outside. The self-assembly processes of the Keplerates leading to supramolecular blackberry-type structures are influenced by the effective charge densities on the cluster surfaces, which can be tuned by the pH values and solvent properties. As expected, {Mo72Cr30} and {Mo72Fe30} behave similarly in aqueous solution due to their analogous structures and in both cases the self-assembly follows the partial deprotonation of the external water ligands attached to the non-Mo metal centers. However, the M-OH2 functionalities differ not only in acidity but also lability, i.e. in different residence times of the H2O ligands. In contrast to {Mo72Cr30} and {Mo72Fe30}, the {Mo72V30} clusters carry a rather large number of negative charges so that their solution properties are different. They exist as discrete macroions in dilute aqueous solution, and form only in mixed water/organic solvent (like acetone) blackberry-type structures whose size increases with acetone content. The comparison of the properties of the clusters allows more general information about the interesting self-assembly phenomenon to be unveiled.