Structure-Directing Effect of Alkali Metal Cations in New Molybdenum Selenites, Na2Mo2O5(SeO3)2, K2Mo2O5(SeO3)2, and Rb2Mo3O7(SeO3)3

Both single crystals and pure polycrystalline samples of three new quaternary alkali metal molybdenum selenites, Na2Mo2O5(SeO3)2, K2Mo2O5(SeO3)2, and Rb2Mo3O7(SeO3)3, have been synthesized through hydrothermal and solid-state reactions using A2CO3 (A = Na, K, and Rb), MoO3, and SeO2 as reagents. The frameworks of all three materials consist of both families of second-order Jahn–Teller distortive cations, i.e., the d0 cation (Mo6+) and the lone pair cation (Se4+). Although the extent of framework distortions and the resulting occupation sites of alkali metal cations are dissimilar, Na2Mo2O5(SeO3)2 and K2Mo2O5(SeO3)2 exhibit similar three-dimensional networks that are composed of highly asymmetric Mo2O11 dimers and SeO3 polyhedra. Rb2Mo3O7(SeO3)3 reveals a two-dimensional structure that is built with Mo3O15 trimers and SeO3 intralayer linkers. Close structural examinations suggest that the structure-directing effect of alkali metal cations is significant in determining the framework distortions and the dimensions of the molybdenum selenites. UV–vis diffuse reflectance and infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analyses, and ion-exchange reactions are reported, as are out-of-center distortion and dipole moment calculations.