Methyltrioxorhenium catalysis

An important improvement in the catalysis of olefin epoxidation arose with the discovery of methyltrioxorhenium (MTO) and its derivatives as efficient catalysts for olefin epoxidation by Herrmann and coworkers [16-18]. Since then a broad variety of substituted olefins has been successfully used as substrates [103] and the reaction mechanism was studied theoretically [67, 68, 80]. 

The low solubility of oxygen in most ionic liquids limits its application in oxidation catalysis in these liquids. However, oxidation by H2O2 or organoperoxide is not subject to this limitation when the ionic liquids are properly chosen. An example of catalytic oxidation is the methyltrioxorhenium (MTO)-catalyzed epox-idation of alkenes with the urea-H202 adduct in [EMIMJBF4 (228). High conversions and yields were obtained. 

Abbreviations AD, asymmetric dihydroxylation BPY, 2,2 -bipyridine DMTACN, 1,4-dimethyl-l,4,7-triazacyclonane EBHP, ethylbenzene hydroperoxide ee, enantiomeric excess HAP, hydroxyapatite LDH, layered double hydroxide or hydrotalcite-type structure mCPBA, meta-chloroperbenzoic acid MTO, methyltrioxorhenium NMO, A-methylmorpholine-A-oxide OMS, octahedral molecular sieve Pc, phthalocyanine phen, 1,10-phenantroline PILC, pillared clay PBI, polybenzimidazole PI, polyimide Por, porphyrin PPNO, 4-phenylpyridine-A-oxide PS, polystyrene PVP, polyvinylpyridine SLPC, supported liquid-phase catalysis f-BuOOH, tertiary butylhydroperoxide TEMPO, 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-l-piperdinyloxy TEOS, tetraethoxysilane TS-1, titanium silicalite 1 XPS, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. 

Re has recently come to the forefront in liquid phase oxidation catalysis, mainly as a result of the discovery of the catalytic properties of the alkyl compound CH3Re03 [methyltrioxorhenium (MTO)]. MTO forms mono-and diperoxo adducts with H2O2 these species are capable of transferring an oxygen atom to almost any nucleophile, including olefins, allylic alcohols, sulfur compounds, amides, and halide ions (9). Moreover, MTO catalysis can be accelerated by coordination of N ligands such as pyridine (379-381). An additional effect of such bases is that they buffer the strong Lewis acidity of MTO in aqueous solutions and therefore protect epoxides, for example. 

Methyltrioxorhenium(VII) (MTO) absorbance spectroscopy, 130, 132 alkene epoxidation, catalysis with hydrogen peroxide... 

The title compound has been known for less then 25 years [1]. For a considerable part of this time, it has been widely regarded as a mere curiosity. This picture changed dramatically during the last decade. Today, not only is an amazing wealth of derivatives and reaction products known and easily accessible, several of these compounds, most notably methyltrioxorhenium(VII) itself, have found numerous very interesting applications in both catalysis and material sciences. 

As a result, the majority of contributions to the present edition have had to be either updated or completely replaced by new articles. This applies to the sections mentioned above, but also to the rapidly growing area of enantioselective synthesis (Sections 3.3.1 and 3.2.6), the catalytic hydrogenation of sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compounds in raw oils (Section 3.2.13), the Pauson-Khand reaction (Section 3.3.7), and a number of industrially relevant topics covered under Applied Homogeneous Catalysis in Part 2. New aspects of organometallic catalysis have emerged from the chemistry of renewable resources (Section 3.3.9) and the chemistry around the multi-talented catalyst methyltrioxorhenium (Section 3.3.13). 

In the book, the section on homogeneous catalysis covers soft Pt(II) Lewis acid catalysts, methyltrioxorhenium, polyoxometallates, oxaziridinium salts, and N-hydroxyphthalimide. The section on heterogeneous catalysis describes supported silver and gold catalysts, as well as heterogenized Ti catalysts, and polymer-supported metal complexes. The section on phase-transfer catalysis describes several new approaches to the utilization of polyoxometallates. The section on biomimetic catalysis covers nonheme Fe catalysts and a theoretical description of the mechanism on porphyrins. 

Even by 1989, the importance of rhenium compounds in oxidation catalysis was still minimal [1], This picture has changed dramatically since organorhenium(VII) oxides, especially the water-soluble methyltrioxorhenium (MTO, 1), have proven to be excellent catalyst precursors for a surprisingly broad variety of processes, most notably for a variety of oxidation reactions [2, 3]. This article summarizes the behavior of MTO and its peroxo derivatives in the presence of water and under catalytic condition in aqueous systems, particular attention being given to the most recent findings. 

Thioketones, R2C=S, can be oxidized to sulfines, R2C=S=0, and further oxidized to, ultimately, the ketones, R2C=0 (-1-SO2). Hydrogen peroxide can effect both reactions with catalysis by methyltrioxorhenium (MeReOs). The kinetics of the oxidation sequence have been studied for a range of symmetrically disubstituted thiobenzophen-ones, and for thiocamphor. The first step is favoured by electron-releasing substituents (Hammett p = -1.12), whereas the second process, which is slower, exhibits a U-shaped Hammett plot. Hence it appears that the sulfine oxidation involves a mechanism in which the direction of electron flow in the transition state changes with the electron demand of the substituents in the reactants. The first step of the second reaction converts the sulfine to sultine (99) and/or sulfone (R2CSO2). Although the... 

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