Over the last decade, polyoxometalate (POM) chemistry has grown immensely with such unexpected discoveries as the colossal, yet discrete and soluble polymolybdate and polytungstate clusters containing hundreds of metal atoms, expansion of alkaline POM chemistry, ionic-liquids featuring POMs, POMs as discrete building blocks for complex frameworks, POMs as supporting ligands for single-molecule magnets and chiral POMs for selective catalysis. POMs have also served to isolate the first late transition metal-oxo species, and POM-like clusters structured from actinyl ions have now been realized. In essence, POM chemistry, quite rich in itself, has diverted into new territories beyond the GroupV/GroupVI metals. Potential and realized applications for POMs are abundant due their many exploitable properties including redox chemistry, metal binding and sequestration, acidity, and high negative charge. Applications include but are certainly not limited to catalysis, colorimetric detection, electrostatic association, anti-viral, models for oxide-water interface reactivity, ion exchange/sequestration, gas separations, and surface functionalization.
We are very excited to have Professor Ada Yonath, 2009 Nobel Laureate, participating in our symposium as an honorary lecturer. POMs played an important role in her ground-breaking work on elucidating ribosomal structure and function. Other biological applications of POMs have been realized, and this highlighted lecture will provide a forum for provoking new ideas at the interface of POM chemistry and microbiology.
