Reactivity of metal dioxo complexes

Metal dioxo chemistry and its diverse reactivity are presented with an emphasis on the mechanisms of reactivity. Work from approximately the last decade is surveyed and organized by metal. In particular, the chemistry of cis-dioxo metal complexes is discussed at length. Reactions are grouped by generic type, including addition across a metal oxo bond, oxygen atom transfer, and radical atom transfer reactions. Attention is given to advances in deoxygenation chemistry, oxidation chemistry, and reductive transformations.

Replacement of Molybdenum by Tungsten in a Biomimetic Complex Leads to an Increase in Oxygen Atom Transfer Catalytic Activity

Upon replacement of molybdenum by tungsten in DMSO reductase isolated from the Rhodobacteraceae family, the derived enzyme catalyzes DMSO reduction faster. To better understand this behavior, we synthesized two tungsten(VI) dioxido complexes [W^VIO₂L₂] with pyridine- (PyS) and pyrimidine-2-thiolate (PymS) ligands, isostructural to analogous molybdenum complexes we reported recently. Higher oxygen atom transfer (OAT) catalytic activity was observed with [WO₂(PyS)₂] compared to the Mo species, independent of whether PMe₃ or PPh₃ was used as the oxygen acceptor. [W^VIO₂L₂] complexes undergo reduction with an excess of PMe₃, yielding the tungsten(IV) oxido species [WOL₂(PMe₃)₂], while with PPh₃, no reactions are observed. Although OAT reactions from DMSO to phosphines are known for tungsten complexes, [WOL₂(PMe₃)₂] are the first fully characterized phosphine-stabilized intermediates. By following the reaction of these reduced species with excess DMSO via UV-vis spectroscopy, we observed that tungsten compounds directly react to W^VIO₂ complexes while the Mo analogues first form μ-oxo Mo(V) dimers [Mo₂O₃L₄]. Density functional theory calculations confirm that the oxygen atom abstraction from W^VIO₂ is an endergonic process contrasting the respective reaction with molybdenum. Here, we suggest that depending on the sacrificial oxygen acceptor, the tungsten complex may participate in catalysis either via a redox reaction or as an electrophile.

Inspired by Nature-Functional Analogues of Molybdenum and Tungsten-Dependent Oxidoreductases

Throughout the previous ten years many scientists took inspiration from natural molybdenum and tungsten-dependent oxidoreductases to build functional active site analogues. These studies not only led to an ever more detailed mechanistic understanding of the biological template, but also paved the way to atypical selectivity and activity, such as catalytic hydrogen evolution. This review is aimed at representing the last decade’s progress in the research of and with molybdenum and tungsten functional model compounds. The portrayed systems, organized according to their ability to facilitate typical and artificial enzyme reactions, comprise complexes with non-innocent dithiolene ligands, resembling molybdopterin, as well as entirely non-natural nitrogen, oxygen, and/or sulfur bearing chelating donor ligands. All model compounds receive individual attention, highlighting the specific novelty that each provides for our understanding of the enzymatic mechanisms, such as oxygen atom transfer and proton-coupled electron transfer, or that each presents for exploiting new and useful catalytic capability. Overall, a shift in the application of these model compounds towards uncommon reactions is noted, the latter are comprehensively discussed.

Oxygen Atom Transfer Reactivity of Molybdenum(VI) Complexes Employing Pyrimidine- and Pyridine-2-thiolate Ligands

Four dioxidomolybdenum(VI) complexes of the general structure [MoO₂L₂] employing the S,N-bidentate ligands pyrimidine-2-thiolate (PymS, 1), pyridine-2-thiolate (PyS, 2), 4-methylpyridine-2-thiolate (4-MePyS, 3) and 6-methylpyridine-2-thiolate (6-MePyS, 4) were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic means and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis (2-4). Complexes 1-4 were reacted with PPh₃ and PMe₃, respectively, to investigate their oxygen atom transfer (OAT) reactivity and catalytic applicability. Reduction with PPh₃ leads to symmetric molybdenum(V) dimers of the general structure [Mo₂O₃L₄] (6-9). Kinetic studies showed that the OAT from [MoO₂L₂] to PPh₃ is 5 times faster for the PymS system than for the PyS and 4-MePyS systems. The reaction of complexes 1-3 with PMe₃ gives stable molybdenum(IV) complexes of the structure [MoOL₂(PMe₃)₂] (10-12), while reduction of [MoO₂(6-MePyS)₂] (4) yields [MoO(6-MePyS)₂(PMe₃)] (13) with only one PMe₃ coordinated to the metal center. The activity of complexes 1-4 in catalytic OAT reactions involving Me₂SO and Ph₂SO as oxygen donors and PPh₃ as an oxygen acceptor has been investigated to assess the influence of the varied ligand frameworks on the OAT reaction rates. It was found that [MoO₂(PymS)₂] (1) and [MoO₂(6-MePyS)₂] (4) are similarly efficient catalysts, while complexes 2 and 3 are only moderately active. In the catalytic oxidation of PMe₃ with Me₂SO, complex 4 is the only efficient catalyst. Complexes 1-4 were also found to catalytically reduce NO₃^- with PPh₃, although their reactivity is inhibited by further reduced species such as NO, as exemplified by the formation of the nitrosyl complex [Mo(NO)(PymS)₃] (14), which was identified by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Computed ΔG^⧧ values for the very first step of the OAT were found to be lower for complexes 1 and 4 than for 2 and 3, explaining the difference in catalytic reactivity between the two pairs and revealing the requirement for an electron-deficient ligand system.

Techniques in the synthesis of organometallic compounds of tungsten

Tungsten is an elegant substance, and its compounds have great significance because of their extensive range of applications in diverse fields such as in gas sensors, photocatalysis, lithium ion batteries, H2production, electrochromic devices, dyed sensitized solar cells, microchip technology, and liquid crystal displays. Tungsten compounds exhibit a more efficient catalytic behavior, and tungsten-dependent enzymes generally catalyze the transfer of an oxygen atom to or from a physiological donor/acceptor with the metal center. Furthermore, tungsten has an n-type semiconductor band gap. Tungsten forms complexes by reacting with several elements such as H, C, N, O, and P as well as other numerous inorganic elements. Interestingly, all tungsten reactions occur at ambient temperature, usually with tetrahydrofuran and dichloromethane under vacuum. Tungsten has extraordinarily high-temperature properties, making it very useful for X-ray production and heating elements in furnaces. Tungsten coordinates with diverse nonmetallic elements and ligands and produces interesting compounds. This article describes an overview of the synthesis of various organometallic compounds of tungsten.

Tungsten(VI) Complex of N-Fused Porphyrin Absorbing Near-Infrared Light beyond 1000 nm

Incorporating tungsten into the N3 core of a N-fused porphyrin (NFP; 1) affords high-valent tungsten(VI)-NFP complexes, WClO₂ -1 and 21-chlorinated WClO₂ -3. The X-ray structure of WClO₂ -1 reveals a distorted octahedral geometry with sitting atop metal coordination. The absorption spectrum of WClO₂ -1 displays bathochromically shifted Q-like bands beyond 1000 nm, indicating an inherently narrow HOMO-LUMO energy gap. DFT calculations show that the degeneracy of the LUMO and LUMO+1 pair of 1 is significantly resolved by the tungsten(VI) coordination. Conclusively, magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry provide a rationale for the narrow HOMO-LUMO energy gap in the "16-electron" d⁰ tungsten(VI)-NFP complexes.

Synthesis, characterization and oxygen atom transfer reactivity of a pair of Mo(iv)O- and Mo(vi)O2-enedithiolate complexes – a look at both ends of the catalytic transformation

A novel pair of mono-oxo and di-oxo bis-dithiolene molybdenum complexes were synthesized, characterized and catalytically investigated as models for a molybdenum dependent oxidoreductase.

cis-{MoO2}2+ assisted Mannich-type addition of acetylacetonate methine to the azomethine of tridentate Schiff bases: racemic complexes with chiral transformed ligands

A chiral multidentate ligand system produced by cis-{MoO₂}²⁺ assisted Mannich-type nucleophilic addition of an acetylacetonate central CH– across the polarized azomethine of a tridentate Schiff base system and the racemic cis-{MoO₂}²⁺ complexes formed from it are described.

Quantitation of the ligand effect in oxo-transfer reactions of dioxo-Mo(VI) trispyrazolyl borate complexes

The oxygen atom transfer reactivity (OAT) of dioxo-Mo(VI) complexes of hydrotrispyrazolyl borate (hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate, Tp(Me2); hydrotris(3-isopropylpyrazol-1-yl)borate, Tp(iPr)) with tertiary phosphines (PMe(3), PMe(2)Ph, PEt(3), PEt(2)Ph, PBu(n)(3), PMePh(2), or PEtPh(2)) has been investigated. In acetonitrile, these reactions proceed via the formation of a phosphoryl intermediate complex that undergoes a solvolysis reaction. We report the synthesis and characterization of several phosphoryl complexes. The rates of formation of phosphoryl complexes and their solvation were determined by spectrophotometry. The rates of the reactions and the properties of the phosphoryl species were investigated using the Quantitative Analysis of Ligand Effect (QALE) methodology. The results show that, at least in this system, the first step of the reaction is controlled primarily by the steric factor, and in the second step, both electronic and steric factors are important. We also analyzed the effect of ligands on the reaction rate i.e., Tp(Me2)vs. Tp(iPr).