Blurring the line between addenda and heteroatoms in a giant polyoxotungstotellurite.

The 3.5 nm-sized polyanion [H4TeWO372]80-, exhibiting an exceptionally high Te : W ratio, expands the structural role of TeIV ions from classical heterogroups within polyoxotungstate subunits to addenda ions. Investigations on the self-assembly conditions, proceeding in a simple one-pot reaction, point to the pH as one critical factor for circumventing this limitation.