Organomolybdenum chemistry is the chemistry of chemical compounds with Mo-C bonds. The heavier
group 6 elementsmolybdenum and
tungsten form organometallic compounds similar to those in
organochromium chemistry but higher oxidation states tend to be more common.[2]
Mo(0) and more reduced states
Molybdenum hexacarbonyl is the precursor to many substituted derivatives. It reacts with organolithium reagents to give anionic acyls which can be O-alkylated to give
Fischer carbenes.
Reduction of Mo(CO)6 gives [Mo(CO)52− which is formally Mo(-II).[4]
CO-free Mo(0) compounds tend to be more reducing and kinetically labile than the carbonyl complexes.[5] Examples include bis(benzene)molybdenum (Mo(C6H6)2) and tris(butadiene)molybdenum. Such compounds can be prepared by
metal vapor synthesis and reductive routes from
molybdenum(V) chloride.[6]
Mo(II)
Halogenation of Mo(CO)6 gives Mo(II) carbonyl halides, which are also versatile precursors.[7] One large collection of compounds have the formula (C5R5)Mo(CO)3X, derived from
cyclopentadienylmolybdenum tricarbonyl dimer (X = halide, hydride, alkyl).[8]
Mo(CH3)5, Mo(CH3)6, and salts of [Mo(CH3)7− are known.[5]
Oxo and
imide (RN=) ligands are found in several high oxidation state organomolybdenum compounds. The complexes (C5R5)MoO2X are illustrative.[9] Schrock's Mo-based
olefin metathesis catalysts feature molybdenum(VI) centers supported by
alkoxide,
alkylidene, and imido ligands.[10]
Molybdenum neopentylidyne complexes endowed with sterically demanding phenolates or branched fluorinated alkoxides are catalysts for alkyne metathesis.[11] However, preparation of these catalysts is problematic by the standard Schrock procedure. The trisalkoxide species 17 is active at room temperature.[12]
The related complex precursor complex 18 provides even greater opportunities, which is originally designed for the
stoichiometriccleavage of dinitrogen.[13][14] In fact, when treating complex 18 with DCM in toluene, the major species formed is a methylidyne complex 19 and a monochloride compound 20.[15] More importantly, the combination of complex 18 and DCM tolerates numerous polar groups. For instance, basic amines and
sulfides, which deactivate the more Lewis acidic complex such as Schrock complex. Following by this original discovery, Moore and co-workers tried higher gem-dichlorides RCHCl2 as activating agents to increase the catalyst lifetime.[16] To reconvert the chloride byproduct, they added
magnesium in reaction. Moreover, after ligand exchange to an electron deficient ligand such as p-nitrophenol, gave access to a very active catalyst 22, which was effective in many applications, particularly in
polymer chemistry and
material science.[17] On the other hand, alcoholysis of 21 with a
tridentate ligand will lead to longer lifetime and better substrate scope.[18]
Despite the favorable characteristics of such catalysts, complex 18 must be handled with great care. This compound is not only very sensitive to
oxidation and hydrolysis, but even reactive enough to cleave molecular nitrogen.
Molybdenum
nitride complexes with Ph3SiO ligands are practical and tolerant
precatalyst for alkyne metathesis.[19] This result implied that molybdenum alkylidynes endowed with Ph3SiO ligands must be very active. To further increase the feasibility, stability and activity of these catalysts, they came up with an independent route to directly prepare the alkylidynes instead of their nitrile counterparts. By
complexation with
1,10-phenanthroline, an air-stable compound 27 can be formed as precatalyst, which can be activated easily by MnCl2 or ZnCl2 in solvents.[20] As shown below, this route is highly scalable and practical.
Organotungsten compounds
Tungsten analogues of almost all organoMo compounds are known. Some notable examples include
hexamethyltungsten and analogues of Schrock olefin metathesis catalysts.
Many tungsten-based
alkyne metathesis catalysts are of the general type [X3W≡CR].[21] Activity is manipulated by the ligands. A typical route to such catalysts entails treatment neopentyl
Grignard reagent to tungsten(VI) precursor followed by net alcoholysis of the alkyl ligands.[22] Complex 3 can undergo a ligand exchange with lithium salts to generate Schrock type catalysts (complex 4). Another way to make complex 4 is via cleavage of internal alkyne by W(III) complex, such as 5.[23][24] Complex 2, as well as 3, is unable to metathesize internal alkynes, the related pathway is shown right. In detail, compound 6 (when X is not OR) will react with two equivalent alkynes to form complex 7. Complex 7 will undergo an "associative path" to generate a
metallabenzene complex 8. It will decompose to polymerized compounds or a
cyclopentadienyl complex with a formally reduced tungsten center. Tungstenocenes, or tungsten-containing
metallocenes, may be formed from these cyclopentadienyl complexes.
The formal 12-electron count of the W(VI) center in Schrock catalyst represents an appreciable
Lewis acidity, which seriously limits the scope of these catalysts. For example, Schrock catalyst is unable to metathesize substrates containing donor or basic sites such as amines, thio ethers or
crown ether segments. Acid-sensitive groups such as
acetals can be destroyed. Replacement of tert-butoxide ligands by fluorinated alkoxides increase the Lewis acidic character. To reach a balance, it is proposed that a
heteroleptic push/pull environment around the tungsten center will work.(as shown below)[25][26][27][28][29] For example, complex 13 is highly active (with loading 1-2 mol% being sufficient) and compatible with many functional groups.
^Green M. L. H., Ng D. K. P. (1995). "Cycloheptatriene and -enyl Complexes of the Early Transition Metals". Chemical Reviews. 95 (2): 439–73.
doi:
10.1021/cr00034a006.
^Ellis, J. E. (2003). "Metal Carbonyl Anions: from [Fe(CO)42− to [Hf(CO)62− and Beyond". Organometallics. 22 (17): 3322–3338.
doi:
10.1021/om030105l.
^Stephan, G. C.; Naether, C.; Peters, G.; Tuczek, F. (2013). "Molybdenum 17- and 18-Electron Bis- and Tris(Butadiene) Complexes: Electronic Structures, Spectroscopic Properties, and Oxidative Ligand Substitution Reactions". Inorg. Chem. 52 (10): 5931–5942.
doi:
10.1021/ic400145f.
PMID23627292.
^Joseph L. Templeton "Four-Electron Alkyne Ligands in Molybdenum(II) and Tungsten(II) Complexes" Advances in Organometallic Chemistry 1989, Volume 29, Pages 1–100.
doi:
10.1016/S0065-3055(08)60352-4
^Synthesis of Organometallic Compounds: A Practical Guide Sanshiro Komiya Ed. S. Komiya, M. Hurano 1997
^Kuehn, F. E.; Santos, A. M.; Herrmann, W. A. (2005). "Organorhenium(VII) and Organomolybdenum(VI) Oxides: Syntheses and Application in Olefin Epoxidation". Dalton Trans. (15): 2483–2491.
doi:
10.1039/b504523a.
PMID16025165.