In an attempt to abstract the structural units of widely known silicate, phosphate, and
arsenate compounds based on a transition-metal oxide (TM oxide) framework, we have gained
some new insight into the study of “nanostructured” materials and their corresponding
electronic and magnetic properties. In this review, we highlight some of the features
associated with the nanosized TM oxide frameworks observed in this special class of oxides.
Structurally, these oxides adopt a mixed framework that is composed of interlinked MO6
(M = transition-metal cation) octahedra and XO4 (X = Si4+, P5+, As5+) tetrahedra. TM oxide
octahedra may share vertexes, edges, and faces to form nanoscale layers, chains, and
oligomers. These structurally well-defined low-dimensional lattices are of experimental and
theoretical importance in the sense that electron interaction can be studied in a confined
space. In this review, we will illustrate these structurally confined TM oxide frameworks,
including those observed in molecular complexes.