Inorganic Chemistry Goes Protein Size: A Mo368 Nano-Hedgehog Initiating Nanochemistry by Symmetry Breaking

Molybdenum monsters: A huge molybdenum cluster, comprising large areas with different local symmetry (in the picture different colors represent different (smaller) Mo fragments) is prepared and characterized. Molybdate fragments, which can tolerate a change of electron density at various positions, can be linked in a tremendous variety of ways according to a split-and-link process. Small changes of the boundary conditions, especially the redox conditions, which control growth, as well as the H+ ion concentration, can have a deciding influence on the process.