Sulfur-bridged cubane-type molybdenum-gallium clusters[Mo
3GaS
4(H
2O)
12]
5+(
2) and[Mo
3GaS
4(H
2O)
12]
6+(
3)have been synthesized from[Mo
3S
4(H
2O)
9]
4+(
1) and gallium metal and have been isolated as
2(pts)
5·14H
2O(
2·pts) and
3(pts)
6·17H
2O(
3·pts) (Hpts =
p-toluenesulfonic acid),whose structures have been characterized byX-ray crystallography. Crystal data for
3·pts:orthorhombic, space group
Pca2
1,
a= 11.188(1) Å,
b = 30.936(4) Å,
c = 23.987(2) Å,
V =8301(2) Å
3,
Z = 4,
Dcalcd = 1.628 g cm
-3,
Dobsd = 1.63 g cm
-3,
R (
Rw) = 5.8%(6.3%) for 6102 reflections (
I >3.0
![](/images/gifchars/sigma.gif)
(
I)). Crystal data for
2·pts: triclinic, space group
P![](/images/entities/onemacr.gif)
,
a = 16.406(4) Å,
b= 16.743(3) Å,
c = 13.173(4) Å,
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
=90.64
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
,
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
= 98.40(2)
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
,
![](/images/gifchars/gamma.gif)
= 89.32(2)
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
,
V = 3579.2(14) Å
3,
Z = 2,
Dcalcd= 1.681 g cm
-3,
Dobsd = 1.68 gcm
-3,
R (
Rw) = 6.7%(10.1%) for 7612 reflections (
I >3.0
![](/images/gifchars/sigma.gif)
(
I)). The Mo-Gadistances (
3·pts, 3.60[2] Å;
2·pts, 3.52[2] Å) are much longer than thecorresponding Mo-Mo (
3·pts,2.679[7]Å;
2·pts, 2.713[3] Å) distances. At lowH
+ concentrations, such as 0.5 M HCl,
2 isstable, and at H
+ concentrationhigher than 2 M HCl,
2 is oxidized by H
+ togive
3 with evolution of hydrogen gas. Chloride ionplays animportant role in the oxidation of
2. Electronicspectra of
3·pts and
2·pts are verysimilar. Peak positions and
![](/images/gifchars/epsilon.gif)
values (
max, nm (
![](/images/gifchars/epsilon.gif)
, M
-1cm
-1)):
3·pts, 762 (447), 550 (204);
2·pts, 760 (404), 548 (205). Thecyclicvoltammogram of
3 shows three reduction processes (thecathodic peak potentials,
Epc, are -0.83,-1.20, and-1.74 V, respectively), where the first and second processes arequasi-reversible (the anodic peak potentials,
Epa,are -0.55 and -1.00 V, respectively). The reduction current ofeach process is close to 1:1:3.