Mixed-Valent Dodecanuclear Vanadium Cluster Encapsulating Chloride Anions and Its Reaction To Form a “Bowl”-Shaped Cluster

Two oxovanadium phosphonate cage compounds have been synthesized in an organic solvent, and their characterization has been done by single-crystal X-ray analysis, IR spectroscopy, and bond valence sum calculations. The simple reaction of a mixed-valent closed V₁₂ cage system produced another quasi-closed system composed of two V₆ bowl-type cages.