Acetic Acid Mediated Synthesis of Phosphonate-Substituted Titanium Oxo Clusters

New phosphonate/acetate-substituted titanium oxo/alkoxo clusters were prepared from Ti(OiPr)4 and bis(trimethylsilyl) phosphonates in the presence of acetic acid, which served to generate water in situ through ester formation. The process led to clusters with a higher degree of condensation than in previously known phosphonate-substituted titanium oxo clusters. The clusters [Ti6O4(OiPr)10(OAc)2(O3PR)2] (OAc = acetate) were obtained for a large variety of functional and non-functional groups R under a range of reaction conditions. This cluster type, which is also retained in solution, therefore appears to be very robust. Two other clusters, [Ti5O(OiPr)11(OAc)(O3PCH2CH2CH2Br)3] and [Ti5O3(OiPr)6(OAc)4(O3P-xylyl)2], were only isolated in special cases.