Assembling nanosized ring-shaped synthons to an anionic layer structure based on the synergetically induced functional complementarity of their surface-sites: Na21[MoVI126MoV28O462H14(H2O)54(H2PO2)7]·xH2O (x ≈ 300)

The reaction of an aqueous solution of sodium molybdate with hypophosphorous (phosphinic) acid acting both as reducing agent and ligand at low pH values (≈1) results in the formation of nanosized ring-shaped cluster units which assemble to form layers of the compound Na21[MoVI126- MoV28O462H14(H2O)54(H2PO2)7]·xH2O 1 (x ≈ 300); the assemblage is based on the synergetically induced functional complementarity of amphiphilic OMoL (L = H2O, H2PO2–) groups and corresponds to the replacement of H2O ligands of rings by related terminal MoO groups of other rings (and vice versa) the nucleophilicity of which is induced by coordinated H2PO2– ligands.