Cubic Box Versus Spheroidal Capsule Built from Defect and Intact Pentagonal Units

The high-nuclearity polyoxothiomolybdate [H(8)Mo(84)S(48)O(188)(H(2)O)(12)(CH(3)COO)(24)](32-) has been prepared and characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography and (1)H NMR, IR, Raman, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The solid-state structure reveals an unprecedented and intriguing arrangement consisting of a nanoscaled anionic cube. The surprisingly open structure of this {Mo(84)}-type cubic box features a large inner void that is accessible via its six open square faces with diameters of ca. 9 Å. Importantly, this molecular system appears to be highly functionalizable because of the presence of 24 exposed exchangeable acetate ligands.