The tetrameric hydrolysis products of zirconium(IV) and hafnium(IV), the zirconyl(IV) and hafnyl(IV) ions, [M(4)(OH)(8)(OH(2))(16)(8+)], often labelled MO(2+).5H(2)O, are in principle the only zirconium(IV) and hafnium(IV) species present in aqueous solution without stabilising ligands and pH larger than zero. These complexes are furthermore kinetically very stable and do not become protonated even after refluxing in concentrated acid for at least a week. The structures of these complexes have been determined in both solid state and aqueous solution by means of crystallography, EXAFS and large angle X-ray scattering (LAXS). Each metal ion in the [M(4)(OH)(8)(OH(2))(16)](8+) complex binds four hydroxide ions in double hydroxo bridges, and four water molecules terminally. The M-O bond distance to the hydroxide ions are markedly shorter, ca. 0.12 A, than to the water molecules. The hydrated zirconium(IV) and hafnium(IV) ions only exist in extremely acidic aqueous solution due to their very strong tendency to hydrolyse. The structure of the hydrated zirconium(IV) and hafnium(IV) ions has been determined in concentrated aqueous perchloric acid by means of EXAFS, with both ions being eight-coordinated, most probably in square antiprismatic fashion, with mean Zr-O and Hf-O bond distances of 2.187(3) and 2.160(12) A, respectively. The dimethyl sulfoxide solvated zirconium(IV) and hafnium(IV) ions are square antiprismatic in both solid state and solution, with mean Zr-O and Hf-O bond distances of 2.193(1) and 2.181(6) A, respectively, in the solid state. Hafnium(IV) chloride does not dissociate in N,N'-dimethylpropyleneurea, dmpu, a solvent with good solvating properties but with a somewhat lower permittivity (epsilon= 36.1) than dimethyl sulfoxide (epsilon= 46.4), and an octahedral HfCl(4)(dmpu)(2) complex is formed.

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