Symmetry versus Minimal Pentagonal Adjacencies in Uranium-Based Polyoxometalate Fullerene Topologies

摘要

Polyoxometalates are centuries old,and Keggin established the first structure of a heteropolyoxometalate compound in 1933. Actinides have recently been incorporated into polyoxometalates of transition metals, but only three studies report actinide-based polyoxometalate clusters. Yet actinides are ideal candidates for self-assembly into clusters that may possess interesting properties associated with the complexity of the f electrons, and such clusters could be useful in the nuclear fuel cycle. Duval et al. reported a cluster with a polyoxometalate core containing six uranium atoms, and we recently described clusters of uranyl peroxide hydroxide isopolyhedra, consisting of 24, 28, 32, 40, and 50 polyhedra. Uranyl peroxide clusters self-assemble in alkaline solutions under ambient conditions and provide a glimpse into a potentially large and complex family of polyoxometalates.