Interweaving Disciplines to Advance Chemistry: Applying Polyoxometalates in Biology

Abstract

This Viewpoint brings awareness of the challenges and subsequent breakthroughs at the intersection of different disciplines, illustrated by the example of the influence biological entities exerted on a huge class of inorganic coordination compounds, called polyoxometalates (POMs). We highlight the possible effects of biological systems on POMs that need to be considered, thereby emphasizing the depth and complexity of interdisciplinary work. We map POMs' structural, electrochemical, and stability properties in the presence of biomolecules and stress the potential challenges related to inorganic coordination chemistry carried out in biological systems. This Viewpoint shows that new chemistry is available at the intersections between disciplines and aims to guide the community toward a discussion about current as well as future trends in truly interdisciplinary work.