Structure-directing catalysis for synthesis of metal, non-silicon metalloid and rare earth oxides and nitrides, and their organic or hydrido conjugates and derivatives

A catalyst comprising:

• a molecule or self-assembling molecule having a nucleophilic group that displaces alkanol from a non-silicon alkoxide or alkoxide-like substrate by forming a transitory covalent intermediate facilitating solvolysis to initiate condensation with another non-silicon alkoxide or alkoxide-like material at neutral or near neutral pH with structure-directing control of product formation resulting from a spatial array of structure-directing determinants contained on or within the self-assembling molecule acting in conjunction with the surfaces of any mesoporous or other solid support to which said molecule is attached or in which said molecule is confined, to form a dioxane, oligo-oxane, or polyoxane product;
• said molecule being selected from the group consisting essentially of silicatein, protein, enzyme, peptide, and non-peptide-based polymers, that operates by a mechanism of catalysis similar to that utilized by silicateins;
• and
• either or both of said alkoxides or alkoxide-like material being selected from the group consisting essentially of metallo alkoxides, non-silicon metalloid alkoxides, and organic or hydrido conjugates of the foregoing, to form the corresponding polymetallo-oxanes, non-silicon polymetalloid-oxanes, or the corresponding organic or hydrido conjugates of the foregoing;
• wherein said product is a polymetallo-oxane, a polyorganometallo-oxane, a non-silicon polymetalloid-oxane, or a non-silicon polyorganometalloid-oxane.