Hi!
I am Pedro Molina Sánchez, a Postdoctoral Scholar at Oregon State University (USA) and this is my blog. The idea is to write here about polyoxometalates (POMs) in general and in particular to include my reviews on recently published articles in the topic. I like POMs quite a bit so I think I’m gonna enjoy this!
I am interested in aqueous inorganic chemistry, particularly in the formation of anionic, nanosized metal oxides (polyoxometalates), their behavior in solution and their integration into supramolecular functional materials. This fascinating class of compounds helps us to understand natural, fundamental processes, such as ion-association and polyionic speciation, as well as to fabricate functional materials targeted for fuel production, catalysis and energy storage applications. My curiosity and efforts are now focused on discovering new structural motifs in the Nb/Ta polyoxometalate family (polycoltanates), as novel clusters displaying unknown structures will deepen our knowledge of the ion-association between alkali metals and metal oxides and of the ability of these clusters to catalyse a diverse set of reactions under basic conditions.
I got my BSc in Chemistry at the University of Glasgow (UK) and then joined Prof. L. Cronin’s for my PhD work in polytungstate chemistry. Soon after obtaining his PhD, I crossed the pond to join the group led by Prof. M. Nyman to conduct exciting research in the chemistry of polycoltanates (Nb/Ta polyoxometalates). I love cycling and am having a blast riding along the stunning Oregon country roads. My list of scientific publications can be found in ORCID while details on my general interests can be found in my website.
Polycoltanate 