Understanding simple oxygen-exchange reactions is important to a variety of communities concerned with the chemistry of oxides with water. Limitations in the methods available for studying reactions at these oxide-water interfaces, as well as difficulties in characterizing their structures, have led to the use of polyoxometalates (POMs) as model molecules. POMs are metal oxide ions composed of Group 5 and 6 metals. These ions constitute discrete and often soluble clusters than can be spectroscopically probed with great confidence. In addition, POMs are interesting in their own right, owing to their structural and chemical diversity, and are finding an increasing number of applications. [1][2][3][4][5] We have been investigating the oxygen-isotope-exchange kinetics in these ions and aqueous solution by 17 O-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to help better recognize what controls the molecule-water interface processes on the level of individual oxygen sites.[6-10] These structures were chosen because the isotope-exchange reactions could be followed separately from dissociation or condensation of the structure.Borate is widely used as a pH buffer owing to its low cost and conveniently located pK a . In general, borate buffers are assumed to be inert. Most POMs are anions, as is borate, and it is reasonable to assume that the negative charges of the POM and the borate will minimise interactions in solution. Here we describe the interactions between borate and three different niobium-based POMs. These interactions are interesting in their own right, but also allow us to reconcile observed differences in the oxygen exchange rates between the hexaniobate and hexatantalate ions. [6,7] We observed a large increase in the rates of oxygen-isotope exchange when a borate buffer was employed in ex-