New iso and heteropolyoxomolybdates:: synthesis and molecular structure of the anions [Mo8VIO26(OH)]5-, [HAsIIIAsVMoVMo8VIO34]6- and [HAsIIIAsVMoVMo8VIO34{Co(C5H5N)2(H2O)3}]4-

The hydrothermal reaction of Na2MoO4 with pyridine in water at pH 5 and 130 degreesC gives the octamolybdate anion [Mo-8(VI) O-26(OH)](5-) (1) which crystallises as the pyridinium salt; its molecular structure derives from that of the parent alpha-octamolybdate anion [Mo-8(VI) O-26](4-) by opening two molybdenum-oxygen bond and adding a hydroxo bridge. The same reaction in the presence of NaAsO2 yields the mixed-valence arsenatomolybdate [Has(III)As(V)Mo(V)Mo(8)(VI)O(34)](6-) (2) which is also isolated as the pyridinium salt. Anion 2 has a lacunary structure like an open basket, which derives from the famous alpha-Keggin structure by removing three edge-sharing MoO6 octahedra and by capping a trioxygen face of three remaning MoO6 octahedra with an AsH group. Reaction of 2 with Co2+ leads to the anion [(HAsAsMoMo8VI)-As-III-Mo-V-Mo-V O-34 {Co(C5H5N)(2)(H2O)(3)}](4-) (3) which crystallises as a double pyridinium salt together with anion 2. The structure of 3 derives from that of 2 by attaching a Co(C5H5N)(2)(H2O)(3) fragment to a terminal oxo ligand. Reaction of 2 with hydrogen peroxide produces the fully oxydised alpha-Keggin anion [(AsMo12O40)-Mo-V-O-VI](3-) (4) which was found to crystallise as the tetrabutylammonium salt surprisingly with three independent molecules in the unit cell, two of them showing a remarkable disorder. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.