In Situ Formation Of Unprecedented Neptunium-Oxide Wheel Clusters Stabilized In A Metal-Organic Framework

An isostructural series of Np(V) MOFs with shp-topology were synthesized and characterized. Xray diffraction data revealed an unusual wheel-shaped node of 18 neptunyl polyhedra stabilized in the framework. Strong distortion in local coordination of the neptunium atoms is evidenced by Np-O-yl bond lengths that lie outside the typical range for Np(V). The structure was further interrogated by Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations to assign the vibrational modes.