Lanthanoid 'bottlebrush' clusters: remarkably elongated metal-oxo core structures with controllable lengths

Large metal–oxo clusters consistently assume spherical or regular polyhedral morphologies rather than high-aspect-ratio structures. Access to elongated core structures has now been achieved by the reaction of lanthanoid salts with a tetrazole-functionalized calixarene in the presence of a simple carboxylate co-ligand. The resulting Ln₁₉ and Ln₁₂ clusters are constructed from apex-fused Ln₅O₆ trigonal bipyramids and are formed consistently under a range of reaction conditions and reagent ratios. Altering the carboxylate co-ligand structure reliably controls the cluster length, giving access to a new class of rod-like clusters of variable length.