The ability of metals to move atoms around is vital to the survival of all living organisms. Molybdenum, found in almost all living things, is very good at moving around oxygen atoms as well as other doubly-bound fragments. Chemists have developed several catalytic reactions exploiting this ability. The use of advantageous ligand frameworks has helped in this endeavor. This work presents the application of a previously unemployed ligand system to Mo(VI) chemistry, the amidate ligand. Amidate complexes of group(IV) metals have shown a variety of interesting and useful capabilities. The modular synthesis of the amidate proligand allows for high-tunability. Amidate ligands have been shown to be hemilabile, allowing for varied reactivity at metal centers. A series of L<sub>2</sub>MoO<sub>2</sub> complexes (where L = various amidate ligands displaying varied steric bulk and electronic properties) have been synthesized and characterized by NMR and X-ray crystallography. Catalytic oxygen atom transfer from dimethyl sulfoxide to a tertiary phosphine has been shown, mimicking the reactivity shown in molybdenum oxotransferase enzymes found in phytobacteria in the ocean. A catalyst decomposition product from the abstraction of an oxo group has also been isolated and characterized by X-ray crystallography. The epoxidation of alkenes is used on a large-scale industrially to generate small value-added feedstock materials. Catalytic epoxidation of various alkenes has also been demonstrated in ambient atmosphere.

Oxygen atom transfer by dioxo mo (VI) bis-amidate complexes

2019 Spring National Meeting

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