Hexa(''tert''-butoxy)dimolybdenum(III) is a
coordination complex
A coordination complex consists of a central atom or ion, which is usually metallic and is called the ''coordination centre'', and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions, that are in turn known as ''ligands'' or complexing agents. Many ...
of
molybdenum
Molybdenum is a chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42 which is located in period 5 and group 6. The name is from Neo-Latin ''molybdaenum'', which is based on Ancient Greek ', meaning lead, since its ores were confused with lea ...
(III). It is one of the
homoleptic
In inorganic chemistry, a homoleptic chemical compound is a metal compound with all ligands identical. The term uses the " homo-" prefix to indicate that something is the same for all. Any metal species which has more than one type of ligand is he ...
alkoxide
In chemistry, an alkoxide is the conjugate base of an alcohol and therefore consists of an organic group bonded to a negatively charged oxygen atom. They are written as , where R is the organic substituent. Alkoxides are strong bases and, whe ...
s of molybdenum. An orange, air-sensitive solid, the complex has attracted academic attention as the precursor to many
organomolybdenum
Organomolybdenum chemistry is the chemistry of chemical compounds with Mo-C bonds. The heavier group 6 elements molybdenum and tungsten form organometallic compounds similar to those in organochromium chemistry but higher oxidation states tend to ...
derivatives. It an example of a charge-neutral complex featuring a molybdenum to molybdenum
triple bond
A triple bond in chemistry is a chemical bond between two atoms involving six bonding electrons instead of the usual two in a covalent single bond. Triple bonds are stronger than the equivalent single bonds or double bonds, with a bond order o ...
(Mo≡Mo), arising from the coupling of a pair of d
3 metal centers. It can be prepared by a
salt metathesis reaction
A salt metathesis reaction, sometimes called a double displacement reaction, is a chemical process involving the exchange of bonds between two reacting chemical species which results in the creation of products with similar or identical bonding a ...
from the
THF
Tetrahydrofuran (THF), or oxolane, is an organic compound with the formula (CH2)4O. The compound is classified as heterocyclic compound, specifically a cyclic ether. It is a colorless, water- miscible organic liquid with low viscosity. It is ...
complex of
molybdenum trichloride
Molybdenum(III) chloride is the inorganic compound with the formula MoCl3. It forms purple crystals.
Synthesis and structure
Molybdenum(III) chloride is synthesized by the reduction of molybdenum(V) chloride with hydrogen. A higher yield is prod ...
and
lithium tert-butoxide
Lithium ''tert''-butoxide is the metalloorganic compound with the formula LiOC(CH3)3. A white solid, it is used as a strong base in organic synthesis. The compound is often depicted as a salt, and it often behaves as such, but it is not ionized ...
:
:2 MoCl
3(thf)
3 + 6 LiOBu-t → Mo
2(OBu-t)
6 + 6 LiCl + 6 thf
The complex and its
ditungsten (W2) analogue adopt an ethane-like geometry. The metal to metal bond distance is 222
pm in the related complex Mo
2(OCH
2CMe
3)
6.
[{{cite journal , doi=10.1021/ic50173a045, title=The molybdenum-molybdenum triple bond. 2. Hexakis(alkoxy)dimolybdenum compounds: Preparation, properties and structural characterization of hexakis(neopentoxy)dimolybdenum, year=1977, last1=Chisholm, first1=Malcolm H., last2=Cotton, first2=F. Albert., last3=Murillo, first3=Carlos A., last4=Reichert, first4=William W., journal=Inorganic Chemistry, volume=16, issue=7, pages=1801–1808]
See also
*
Hexa(tert-butoxy)ditungsten(III)
Hexa(''tert''-butoxy)ditungsten(III) is a coordination complex of tungsten(III). It is one of the homoleptic alkoxides of tungsten. A red, air-sensitive solid, the complex has attracted academic attention as the precursor to many organotungsten ...
References
Alkoxides
Molybdenum(III) compounds