Isolation of Reduced Zirconium Chloride Clusters [(Zr6CCl12)Cl6]4− and [(Zr6BCl12)Cl6]5− from Acidic Aqueous Solution

Crystallizable from concentrated hydrochloric acid : Compounds containing [(Zr₆BCl₁₂)Cl₆]⁵⁻ and [(Zr₆CCl₁₂)Cl₆]⁴⁻ clusters survive dissolution in deoxygenated water, and this enabled the study of reduced zirconium compounds in aqueous solution for the first time. In the solid state, the clusters are surrounded by novel hydrogen-bonded water networks that interact with the terminal chloride ligands (see graphic; black circles: Zr, smaller circle: B, gray circles: Cl, open circles: O of H₂O).