Small Titanium Oxo Clusters: Primary Structures of Titanium(IV) in Water

For sol-gel synthesis of titanium oxide, the titanium(IV) precursors are dissolved in water to form clear solutions. However, the solution status of titanium(IV) remains unclear. Herein three new and rare types of titanium oxo clusters are isolated from aqueous solutions of TiOSO₄ and TiCl₄ without using organic ligands. Our results indicate that titanium(IV) is readily hydrolyzed into oxo oligomers even in highly acidic solutions. The present clusters provide precise structural information for future characterization of the solution species and structural evolution of titanium(IV) in water and, meanwhile, are new molecular materials for photocatalysis.