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Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology EN007D-343 July 10, 2001 20:13

Inorganic Exotic Molecules 833

FIGURE 7 Structures of ferrocene (18), the related iron(II) bisdicarbollide anion (19), and a hexadecker, mixed
cyclopentadienyl/triboracyclopentadienyl pentametal sandwich complex (20).

X. NANO-SIZED MOLECULES: CLUSTERS, A. “Moly Blue”
FULLERENES, AND SELF-ASSEMBLED
METAL COMPLEXES Soluble molybdenum blue (moly blue) is obtained if acid
molybdate [Mo(VI)] solutions are reduced by chemical
“Nano-size,”“clusters,”“fullerenes,” and “self-assembly” or physical means. Although these deeply colored solu-
are key words in the description of “large” inorganic tions have been known for more than 200 years, it was not
molecules. Rather than giving explicit definitions here, until recently that a more detailed structural characteri-
we give examples we hope will suffice. zation succeeded. Remarkably, the basic building blocks

FIGURE 8 The nano-sized cluster “moly blue” (22).