Molybdenum Dithiolene Complexes as Structural Models for the Active Sites of Molybdenum(IV) Sulfide Hydrodesulfurization Catalysts

A molybdenum tris-(di-thiol-ene) complex coordinates to three bound cobalt centers in three different ways

The synthesis and structural characterization of the mol-ecular compound (μ3-benzene-1,2-di-thiol-ato)hexa-carbonyl-bis-(μ3-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluorobut-2-ene-2,3-dithiolato)tricobaltmolybdenum, [Co3Mo(C4F6S2)2(C6H4S2)(CO)6] or Mo(tfd)2(bdt)(Co(CO)2)3 (tfd is 1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluorobut-2-ene-2,3-dithiolate and bdt is benzene-1,2-di-thiol-ate), are reported. The structure of the mol-ecule contains the molybdenum tris-(di-thiol-ene) complex Mo(tfd)2(bdt) coordinated as a multidentate ligand to three cobalt dicarbonyl units. Each of the three cobalt centers is relatively close to molybdenum, with Co⋯Mo distances of 2.7224 (7), 2.8058 (7), and 2.6320 (6) Å. Additionally, each of the cobalt centers is bound via main-group donor atoms, but each one in a different way: the first cobalt atom is coordinated by two sulfur atoms from different di-thiol-enes (bdt and tfd). The second cobalt atom is coordinated by one sulfur from one tfd and two olefinic carbons from another tfd. The third cobalt is coordinated by one sulfur from bdt and two sulfurs from tfd. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first structurally characterized example of a molybdenum (tris-)di-thiol-ene complex that coordinates to cobalt. The F atoms of two of the -CF3 groups were refined as disordered over two sets of sites with ratios of refined occupancies of 0.703 (7):0.297 (7) and 0.72 (2):0.28 (2).

Deoxygenation of mono-oxo bis(dithiolene) Mo and W complexes by protonation

Protonation-assisted deoxygenation of a mono-oxo molybdenum center has been observed in many oxotransferases when the enzyme removes an oxo group to regenerate a substrate binding site. Such a reaction is reported here with discrete synthetic mono-oxo bis(dithiolene) molybdenum and tungsten complexes, the chemistry of which had been rarely studied because of the instability of the resulting deoxygenated products. An addition of tosylic acid to an acetonitrile solution of [Mo(IV)O(S2C2Ph2)2](2-) (1) and [W(IV)O(S2C2Ph2)2](2-) (2) results in the loss of oxide with a concomitant formation of novel deoxygenated complexes, [M(MeCN)2(S2C2Ph2)2] (M = Mo (3), W (4)), that have been isolated and characterized. Whereas protonation of 1 exclusively produces 3, two different reaction products can be generated from 2; an oxidized product, [WO(S2C2Ph2)2](-), is produced with 1 equiv of acid while a deoxygenated product, [W(MeCN)2(S2C2Ph2)2] (4), is generated with an excess amount of proton. Alternatively, complexes 3 and 4 can be obtained from photolysis of [Mo(CO)2(S2C2Ph2)2] (5) and [W(CO)2(S2C2Ph2)2] (6) in acetonitrile. A di- and a monosubstituted adducts of 3, [Mo(CO)2(S2C2Ph2)2] (5) and [Mo(PPh3)(MeCN)(S2C2Ph2)2] (7) are also reported.