POMs

POMs is an acronym used in several disciplines, referring to different concepts depending on the context. Two prominent uses are polyoxometalates in chemistry and the Project Object Model used in Java-based software builds.

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are discrete anionic metal-oxide clusters composed mainly of early transition metals such as tungsten or molybdenum bound by oxide ligands. They come in well-characterized structural classes, including the Keggin and Wells–Dawson types. POMs display rich redox chemistry, substantial Brønsted acidity, and the ability to function as catalysts in oxidation, acid catalysis, and environmental remediation. They are studied for applications in catalysis, electrochemistry, materials science, energy storage, and nanotechnology, and can operate as homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysts depending on their formulation and handling.

Project Object Model (POM) is the central configuration file used by Apache Maven to describe a software project and its build. A POM is an XML document containing coordinates (groupId, artifactId, version), packaging type, and properties. It lists dependencies, their versions and scopes, and repositories, as well as plugins, build profiles, and plugin configurations. The POM may reference a parent POM to enable inheritance and can aggregate multiple modules in a multi-module project. Maven reads the POM to resolve dependencies, manage transitive libraries, and drive the build lifecycle, ensuring reproducible builds across environments.

Because POMs can refer to different concepts in different domains, understanding the intended meaning requires attention to context.