Polyoxometalates
are known to be inhibitors of a diverse collection
of enzymes, although the specific interactions that lead to this bioactivity
are still unclear. Spectroscopic characterization may be an invaluable
if indirect tool for remedying this problem, yet this requires clear,
cogent assignment of polyoxometalate spectra before the complicating
effect of their binding to large biomolecules can be considered. We
report the use of FT-IR and resonance Raman spectroscopies alongside
density functional theory to describe the vibrational and electronic
structures of decavanadate, [V10O28]6–. Our computational model, which reproduced the majority of vibrational
features to within 10 cm–1, was used to identify
an axial oxo ligand as the most likely position of the acidic proton
in the related cluster [HV10O28]5–. As resonance Raman spectroscopy can directly interrogate chromophores
embedded in complex systems, this approach may be of general use in
answering structural questions about polyoxometalate–enzyme
systems.