Self-assembly of hybrid organic-inorganic polyoxomolybdates: solid-state structures and investigation of formation and core rearrangements in solution.

We report here a facile synthetic and analytical approach that allows us to identify and characterize functionalized polyoxomolybdate clusters that form upon the partial reduction of Mo(VI) salts in the presence of organoarsonate ligands. We demonstrated that electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, in combination with X-ray crystallography, provides an extremely powerful tool, allowing us to exploit slight perturbations of the ligand structures for the preparation of a series of unprecedented cluster compounds. Redox-active transition metals that adopt cubane or related structures are of particular interest because of their resemblance to active sites of enzymes. Our investigations underline the stability of the hybrid compounds in solution, an essential requirement for potential applications as catalysts. Supplemental analyses include measurements of the magnetic properties, NMR, IR, UV/vis, and bond-valence-sum analyses. Our results highlight the possibility of exploring real-time growth reactions of polyoxometales that emerge in solution and transform to produce hybrid organic-inorganic polyoxometalate clusters.