The Ball‐Shaped Heteropolytungstates [{Sn(CH₃)₂(H₂O)}₂₄{Sn(CH₃)₂}₁₂(<i>A‐</i>XW₉O₃₄)₁₂]³⁶⁻

Abstract

Great balls of tungsten: Two polyoxotungstates with spectacular size (almost 1000 atoms), molar mass (approximately 33 000 g mol−1), and spherical symmetry have been synthesized. The dimethyltin-substituted [{Sn(CH3)2(H2O)}24{Sn(CH3)2}12(A-XW9O34)12]36− ions (see polyhedral representation; X=P, As; red octahedra WO6, yellow tetrahedra XO4) consist of 12 (A-XW9O34) Keggin moieties linked by 36 dimethyltin groups resulting in a spherical structure with a cavity 8 Å in diameter.