Synthesis and structure of the pentacopper(II) substituted tungstosilicate [Cu5(OH)4(H2O)2(A-alpha-SiW9O33)2]10-

The dimeric, pentacopper(II) substituted tungstosilicate [Cu(5)(OH)(4)(H(2)O)(2)(A-alpha-SiW(9)O(33))(2)](10-) (1) has been synthesized in good yield using a one-pot procedure by reaction of Cu(2+) ions with the trilacunary precursor salt K(10)[A-alpha-SiW(9)O(34)]. The title polyanion represents the first polyoxotungstate substituted by 5 copper centers and the central copper-hydroxo-aqua fragment is completely unprecedented. In the course of the reaction, two [A-alpha-SiW(9)O(34)](10-) Keggin half-units have fused in an asymmetrical fashion resulting in the lacunary polyoxotungstate [Si(2)W(18)O(66)](16-). The vacancy in this species is stabilized by a magnetic cluster of five octahedrally coordinated Cu(2+) ions resulting in polyanion 1 with C(2v) symmetry.