Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.130, No.45, 14946-14946, 2008
"Bottom-Up" Meets "Top-Down" Assembly in Nanoscale Polyoxometalate Clusters: Self-Assembly of [P4W52O178](24-) and Disassembly to [P3W39O134](19-)
The pH-controlled assembly/disassembly of a nanoscale {P4W52O178}(24-) cluster at pH 2 to a {P4W44O152}(20-) cluster at pH 3 -5 via a {P3W39O134)(19-) cluster species at pH 2-3 to finally give {P2W19O69(OH2)}(14-) at pH 6 is reported. This process can be traced in the solid state crystallographically and in solution using dynamic light scattering studies.