24-fold endohedral functionalization of a self-assembled M12L24 coordination nanoball.

A ca. 5 nm-sized, roughly spherical hollow complex was assembled from 12 Pd2+ ions and 24 bis(4-pyridylethenyl)-substituted bent ligands. By putting a functional group at the curvature of the ligand, the 24 functional groups were precisely arrayed inward within the spherical complex. When oligo(ethylene oxide) was anchored, the void of the hollow complex was tightly filled with a pseudo poly(ethylene oxide) nanoparticle, which showed metal ion (La3+) absorption property.