A general method for accessing the solution chemistry of cluster constituents of solid phases exhibiting extended cluster frameworks is demonstrated. The approach is described in terms of simple metal-anion (M-X) frameworks and involves the formal incorporation of AX into a parent structure, resulting in termination of the X bridges between M centers while balancing the charge of the resulting framework with external cations A. The new structures obtained display frameworks of reduced connectedness and dimensionality. By replacing single metal centers with multinuclear cluster cores, this dimensional reduction approach is extended to cluster-containing frameworks.