chemistry

Organomolybdenum chemistry

Organomolybdenum chemistry is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Organomolybdenum chemistry rather than just read about it. In short: 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 be more common.

Key takeaways

Organomolybdenum chemistry belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Organomolybdenum chemistry to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Organomolybdenum chemistry from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

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 be more common.

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.

Mo(CO)6 reacts with arenes to give piano-stool complexes such as (mesitylene)molybdenum tricarbonyl. Cycloheptatrienemolybdenum tricarbonyl, which is related to (arene)Mo(CO)3, reacts with trityl salts to give the cycloheptatrienyl complex:

(C7H8)Mo(CO)3 + (C6H5)3C+ → [(C7H7)Mo(CO)3]+ + (C6H5)3CH

Reduction of Mo(CO)6 gives [Mo(CO)5]2− which is formally Mo(-II). CO-free Mo(0) compounds tend to be more reducing and kinetically labile than the carbonyl complexes. 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.

Mo(II) Halogenation of Mo(CO)6 gives Mo(II) carbonyl halides, which are also versatile precursors. One large collection of compounds have the formula (C5R5)Mo(CO)3X, derived from cyclopentadienylmolybdenum tricarbonyl dimer (X = halide, hydride, alkyl). Treating molybdenum(II) acetate with methyllithium gives Li4[Mo2(CH3)8].

Mo(IV) With the formula of the type Cp2MoX2 molybdocene dichloride (X = Cl) and molybdocene dihydride (X = H) are both known as are ansa metallocene analogues.

Mo(V) and Mo(VI) Mo(CH3)5, Mo(CH3)6, and salts of [Mo(CH3)7]− are known. Oxo and imide (RN=) ligands are found in several high oxidation state organomolybdenum compounds. The complexes (C5R5)MoO2X are illustrative. Schrock's Mo-based olefin metathesis catalysts feature molybdenum(VI) centers supported by alkoxide, alkylidene, and imido ligands. Molybdenum neopentylidyne complexes endowed with sterically demanding phenolates or branched fluorinated alkoxides catalyze alkyne metathesis. However, preparation of these catalysts is problematic by the standard Schrock procedure. The trisalkoxide species 17 is active at room temperature.

Treating these Mo(III) complexes with dichloromethane gives methylidyne complex and a monochloride. The alkylidene complex tolerates basic amines and sulfides, which deactivate the more Lewis acidic complex such as Schrock complex. Higher gem-dichlorides RCHCl2 give longer-lived catalyst. To reconvert the chloride byproduct, they added magnesium in reaction. The p-nitrophenolate is a very active catalyst. On the other hand, alcoholysis of 21 with a tridentate ligand leading to still longer lifetime and better substrate scope. Molybdenum nitride complexes with siloxide ligands are precatalysts for alkyne metathesis.

Potential applications Mo-based catalysts are active for olefin metathesis.

Trisamidomolybdenum(VI) alkylidyne complexes catalyze alkyne metathesis. In the Kauffmann olefination, molybdenum(III) chloride and methyllithium form an organometallic complex capable of carbonyl olefination.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Organomolybdenum chemistry

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Organomolybdenum chemistry claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Organomolybdenum chemistry before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Organomolybdenum chemistry ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Organomolybdenum chemistry

In research: Organomolybdenum chemistry appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Organomolybdenum chemistry in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Organomolybdenum chemistry is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Organomolybdenum compounds, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Organomolybdenum chemistry outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Organomolybdenum chemistry in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Organomolybdenum chemistry means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Organomolybdenum chemistry out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Organomolybdenum chemistry in simple terms?

Why does Organomolybdenum chemistry matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Organomolybdenum chemistry?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Organomolybdenum chemistry.