Rare‐Earth‐Guided Hierarchical Assembly of Teddy‐Bear‐Like Giant Nickel‐Tungstate Polyoxometalates

S Shu‐Rong Li (Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces Xiamen University Xiamen China) S Shi‐Yi Wang (Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces Xiamen University Xiamen China) H Han Xu M Ming‐Qiang Qi (Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces Xiamen University Xiamen China) H Hai‐Feng Su (Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces Xiamen University Xiamen China) L La‐Sheng Long (State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen China) L Lan‐Sun Zheng (State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen China) X Xiang‐Jian Kong (Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces Xiamen University Xiamen China)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The controlled assembly of giant polyoxometalates (POMs) remains a significant challenge in inorganic chemistry. Herein, we demonstrate that rare‐earth ions can direct distinct structural outcomes in nickel‐substituted tungstate systems. Hydrothermal reaction of the flexible precursor [B‐ α ‐SbW 9 O 33 ] with KH 2 PO 4 , Er 2 O 3 , and NiCl 2 yielded a giant all‐inorganic cluster {W 88 Ni 39 } (1) , adopting an unprecedented “Teddy‐Bear”‐like architecture. Under identical conditions, omission of Er 2 O 3 (or replacement with Dy 2 O 3 ) afforded the smaller cluster {W 55 Ni 17 } (2) , corresponding to the “head” of the “Teddy‐Bear”. Notably, Dy 2 O 3 improves the crystallization yield of {W 55 Ni 17 } relative to the rare‐earth‐free reaction. Remarkably, replacing Er 2 O 3 with Gd 2 O 3 afforded a giant tetramer {W 140 Gd 10 Ni 48 } (3) , whose monomer is analogous to the [W 33 Ni 21 ] “Teddy‐Bear body” motif in {W 88 Ni 39 } . These clusters rank among the largest discrete tungsten‐based POM assemblies known. Importantly, the crystallization of {W 88 Ni 39 } and {W 140 Gd 10 Ni 48 } enables an efficient organic‐free separation of the rare‐earth oxides Er 2 O 3 and Gd 2 O 3 with a separation factor of 360.37, revealing a new strategy based on structure‐directed hierarchical assembly for selective crystallization in rare‐earth‐mediated POM systems.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 65, Issue 14
Published March 27, 2026
ISSN 1433-7851
Publisher Wiley

Journal Info

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Wiley

ISSN: 1433-7851 Physical Sciences

Authors (8)

S

Shu‐Rong Li

Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces Xiamen University Xiamen China

S

Shi‐Yi Wang

Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces Xiamen University Xiamen China

H

Han Xu

M

Ming‐Qiang Qi

Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces Xiamen University Xiamen China

H

Hai‐Feng Su

Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces Xiamen University Xiamen China

L

La‐Sheng Long

State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen China

L

Lan‐Sun Zheng

State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen China

X

Xiang‐Jian Kong

Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces Xiamen University Xiamen China