Trinuclear ruthenium core-containing polyoxometalate-based hybrids: preparation, characterization and catalytic behavior

A {Ru(C6H6)}-Containing Isopolymolybdate with Good Photocatalytic Activity for Oxidative Coupling of Amines, and Proton Conduction Properties

We present a nonclassical {Ru(C6H6)}-containing isopolymolybdate Cs8K2Na2H4{[(C6H6)Ru]6Mo24O86}·35H2O (1) via one-pot reaction. The crystallographic characterization of compound 1 revealed that it contains an unusual {Mo24O86} cluster together with six {Ru(C6H6)} groups, having the largest number of {Ru(C6H6)} groups within the field of {Ru(C6H6)}-containing polyoxometalates. Results showed that compound 1 displayed excellent proton conductivity (9.8 × 10-3 S cm-1) at 90 °C and 95% relative humidity. Based on the calculation result of activation energy, which was more than 0.4 eV (1.47 eV), it was determined that the proton conduction process for compound 1 was in accordance with the Vehicle mechanism. More interestingly, compound 1 was exploited as a catalyst to achieve the heterogeneous oxidative coupling of amines and realized a high yield (98.9%) toward N-benzylidenebenzylamine under ambient temperature and visible light irradiation (>400 nm) and O2 atmosphere.

Synthesis and Characterization of 6-Ti-Substituted Polyoxomolybdate with High Catalytic Activity for Sulfide Oxidation

A 6-Ti-substituted polyoxometalate, (NH4)5Cs7Na3H2[Cs@(Ti2GeMo10O39)3]·34H2O (1), was synthesized by reacting (NH4)6Mo7O24·4H2O, GeO2, and TiOSO4 through the conventional aqueous method. Polyanion 1a is composed of three {Ti2GeMo10} segments linked by Ti-O-Ti linkages and shows a trefoil-shaped structure. Furthermore, one Cs+ cation is encapsulated in the cavity of 1a. Notably, it possesses the highest number of Ti centers among the reported polyoxomolybdates. In addition, serving as a high-efficiency heterogeneous catalyst, 1 enables the conversion of methyl phenyl sulfide within 20 min, yielding 96.4% of the corresponding sulfoxide with good recyclability.

A Hexameric Ruthenium(III)-Containing Tungstoantimonate with Good Proton Conductivity Performance

A novel Ru(III)-containing tungstoantimonate Na16H22[(B-β-SbW9O33)6(W3RuO7)2(W4O11)]·118H2O (1) hexamer was successfully synthesized using the hydrothermal synthesis method. Analysis by single-crystal X-ray diffraction revealed that the polyanion comprises six trivacant Keggin-type [B-β-SbW9O33]9- units interconnected by six {WO6} and six Ru/W disorder octahedra, resulting in an intriguing cyclohexane boat-like conformation. Compound 1 exhibits favorable proton conductivity, with a measured conductivity (σ) of 5.41 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 333 K and 55% relative humidity (RH). The activation energy (Ea) of compound 1 was determined to be 0.40 eV, providing evidence that its proton conductivity conforms to the Grotthus mechanism.

Discovery and Isolation of Two Arsenotungastate Species: [As4W48O168]36- and [As2W21O77(H2O)3]22

Two novel arsenotungstate species, [As₄W₄₈O₁₆₈]^36- (1a) and [As₂W₂₁O₇₇(H₂O)₃]^22- (2a), have been successfully isolated under a one-pot synthetic method. 1a is the second largest arsenotungstate cluster and is constructed from four {AsW₁₂} clusters combined together. 2a can be described as lacunary sites of {As₂W₁₉} filled by {W₂O₈} units. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibit proton conductivity properties, and the conductivity value of 1 is 5.0 × 10^-3 S cm^-1 at 98% relative humidity and 75 °C. This work proves that the lattice water molecules and polyoxoanions can participate in the formation of a hydrogen bond, acting as effective pathway for intermolecular proton conduction.

Controlled Assembly of Ru-Containing Polyoxometalates for Photocatalytic Activity of the Primary Amine Coupling Reaction

Three Ru-induced structural interconversion polyoxometalates (POMs), Na₁₃H₅[Ru₄(H₂O)₂(Cl)₂(WO₂)₄(AsW₉O₃₃)₄]·43H₂O (1), K₅Na₉H₈[Ru₂(WO₂)₄(AsW₉O₃₃)₄]·50H₂O (2), and KNa₁₃H₁₄[(WO₂)₄(AsW₉O₃₃)₄]·34H₂O (3), were successfully synthesized and thoroughly characterized. Interconversion of structures was accomplished by changing the number of active sites for compounds 1-3. All three compounds contain one {As₄W₄₀O₁₄₀} unit, showing similar structural characteristics except for the active center number (Ru). Interestingly, compound 1 [turnover number (TON)= 486; turnover frequency (TOF)= 20 h^-1] showed highly efficient photocatalysis in achieving oxidative coupling of primary amines. Compound 2 (TON = 406, TOF = 17 h^-1) was also found to promote the oxidative coupling with relatively poor efficiency; however, compound 3 (TON = 178; TOF = 7.4 h^-1) had no obvious contribution to the coupling reaction system, and a chain of evidence indicates that the catalytic performances are strongly dependent on element contents of active sites. Furthermore, the Ru-containing POM-based photocatalysts are conveniently recyclable and reusable during the photocatalytic processes. This study demonstrates the possibility of tuning the catalytic efficiency and stability of POM-based photocatalysts by well designing and controlling their structures. The possible reaction mechanism for the photocatalysis synthesis of imine product is also proposed based on experimental studies.

Binuclear Ru(III)-Containing Polyoxometalate with Efficient Photocatalytic Activity for Oxidative Coupling of Amines to Imines

A novel binuclear ruthenium-based polyoxometalate, K₆H[{Ru₂Cl(H₂O)(CH₃COO)₂}{WO(H₂O)}₂(PW₉O₃₄)₂]·14H₂O (1), was successfully synthesized by the conventional hydrothermal method. Compound 1 was well-characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, X-ray powder diffraction (PXRD), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), and elemental analysis. The structural unit of compound 1 contains two [A-α-PW₉O₃₄]^9- building blocks at the upper and lower positions connected by two W atoms and two Ru atoms, where the W atoms and Ru atoms are arranged in a trapezoidal arrangement and the Ru atoms are bridged by acetic acid. Furthermore, compound 1 features characteristic absorption bands in the visible region, which allows the investigation of its photocatalytic properties in visible light. Under simulated sunlight radiation (λ > 400 nm), compound 1 exhibits high photocatalytic activity and good circularity toward the oxidative coupling of amines to imines at room temperature with O₂ as the sole oxidant.

Assembly of a Hexameric Cluster of Polyoxomolybdotriphosphonate Builts from [Zn(H2O){TeMo6O21}{N(CH2PO3)3}]6- Subunits and Its Optical and Catalytic Properties

The crown-shaped organotriphosphonate-modified 36-molybdenum cluster (NH₄)₁₈Na₇H₁₁[Zn(H₂O)TeMo₆O₂₁{N(CH₂PO₃)₃}]₆·23H₂O (1) has been synthesized, which is the largest zinc-containing organophosphonate-based polyoxometalate to date. Compound 1 was prepared in buffer solution (pH 5.5) with heptamolybdate and amino trimethylene phosphonic acid (ATMP) as the organic ligand. The polyanion constructed from a hexmeric assembly of [Zn(H₂O){TeMo₆O₂₁}{N(CH₂PO₃)₃}]^6- subunits has been fully investigated by a few characterization methods. In this work, we discovered that 1 exhibited reversible photochromism and it changed from white to reddish brown upon UV irradiation. In addition, compound 1, as a catalyst, can oxidize sulfides to sulfoxides, showing a high yield/conversion and a good selectivity.

Ru(III) -based polyoxometalate tetramers as highly efficient heterogeneous catalysts for alcohol oxidation reactions at room temperature

A novel ruthenium-containing polyoxometalate-based organic-inorganic hybrid, K₄Na₉H_7.4[(AsW₉O₃₃)₄(WO₂)₄{Ru_3.2(C₃H₃N₂)₂}]·42H₂O (1), was successfully synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method under acidic conditions, which applied a self-assembly strategy between inorganic polyoxometalate based on trivacant [B-α-AsW₉O₃₃]^9- {AsW₉} fragments and an organic ligand, imidazole (C₃H₄N₂). Compound 1 was further characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, PXRD, IR spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, ESI-MS, elemental analysis and TGA. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction data reveal that the polyanion consists of four trivacant Keggin-type polyanion {AsW₉} building blocks bridged by four {WO₆} units, leading to a crown-shaped tetrameric structure [(AsW₉O₃₃)₄(WO₂)₄{Ru_3.2(C₃H₃N₂)₂}]^20.4-. The ESI-MS result reveals that the polyanion unit has excellent structural integrity in water. Moreover, the catalysis study of 1 was also further investigated, and the experimental results indicate heterogeneous catalyst 1 presents high efficiency (yield = 98%), excellent selectivity (>99%), and good recyclability for the oxidation of 1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethanol to 4'-chloroacetophenone with commercially available 70% aqueous tert-butyl hydroperoxide {TBHP (aq.)} as the oxidant at room temperature.

Discovery of two Na+-centered Silverton-type polyoxometalates {NaM12O42} (M = Mo, W)

Two new members of highly charged Silverton archetype [NaM12O42]11- were demonstrated in the 3D POM-based frameworks Na3[NaM12O42(Ru(DMSO)3)4]·13H2O (M = Mo (1), W (2)), where the unusual icosahedron coordination of a Na+ ion incubated as a heteroatom is reported for the first time in topical POMs. Furthermore, 23Na NMR was applied to certify the interpretation of X-ray diffraction data concerning Na localization. Additionally, the porous nature of the frameworks 1 and 2 has also been investigated.

A {BW12O40} hybrid decorated by Ag+ for use as a supercapacitor electrode material and photocatalyst

Through a hydrothermal method, we successfully synthesized a supramolecular compound [{Ag(phen)₂}₄{Ag(phen)}₂(H₂BW₁₂O₄₀)₂]. The as-synthesized material exhibited excellent supercapacitive and photocatalytic performances.