Infrared and computational investigation of vanadium-substituted Keggin [PVnW12-nO40](n+3)- polyoxometallic anions.

This study investigates complex salts of [PW(12)O(40)](3-), [PVW(11)O(40)](4-), [PV(2)W(10)O(40)](5-), and [PV(3)W(9)O(40)](6-) Keggin anions using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy under ambient atmospheric and high-vacuum conditions and by computational methods. A detailed vibrational study suggests that the presence and amount of vanadium in these anions can be tested quickly and reliably with the help of infrared spectroscopy because the salts of these anions exhibit distinctly different infrared absorption signatures (particularly in the 1025-1250 cm(-1) region, where the P-O stretch is surrounded by a set of complex vibrations involving V-O and W-O bonds). Investigation of these salts with different countercations suggests that the overall appearance of the spectra, and thus the ability to use infrared as a diagnostic tool to identify the presence and number of vanadium atoms in Keggin structure anions, is not affected significantly. Last, it is shown that all the structures investigated are extremely stable across a wide range of temperatures.