Solution syntheses of unsupported Co(Ni)–Mo–S hydrotreating catalysts

The first ionization energy in the gas-phase photoelectron spectra (PES) of Tp*Mo(E)(tdt) complexes (where E = O, S, NO; Tp* = hydrotris(3,5-dimethyl-1-pyrazolyl)borate; tdt = 3,4-toluenedithiolate) is essentially independent of the nature of E, even though the formal oxidation state of the Mo center ranges from +2 to +5. The PES data for the tdt complexes contrast with the results for analogous complexes with alkoxide ligands, which show large variations in first ionization energy (Westcott, B. L.; Enemark, J. H. Inorg. Chem. 1997, 36, 5404−5405). For the tdt complexes the relative intensities of the two lowest energy ionizations do not substantially change as the excitation source is varied among Ne I, He I, and He II radiation, even though the atomic photoionization cross sections for Mo 4d and S 3p orbitals change dramatically over this energy region. These results all point to substantial covalency in the Mo−S bonds. It is proposed that the S atoms of the tdt ligand act as an “electronic buffer” to t...

Evaluation of Molybdenum−Sulfur Interactions in Molybdoenzyme Model Complexes by Gas-Phase Photoelectron Spectroscopy. The “Electronic Buffer” Effect

The molybdenum nitrogenase is responsible for most biological nitrogen fixation, a prokaryotic metabolic process that determines the global biogeochemical cycles of nitrogen and carbon. Here we describe the trafficking of molybdenum for nitrogen fixation in the model diazotrophic bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii. The genes and proteins involved in molybdenum uptake, homeostasis, storage, regulation, and nitrogenase cofactor biosynthesis are reviewed. Molybdenum biochemistry in A. vinelandii reveals unexpected mechanisms and a new role for iron-sulfur clusters in the sequestration and delivery of molybdenum.

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M.E. Leonowicz

Papers

Synthesis, reactivity and redox properties of dinuclear molybdenum-sulfur complexes