O2 Activation with a Sterically Encumbered, Oxygen-Deficient Polyoxovanadate-Alkoxide Cluster.

Abstract

The isolation of the oxygen-deficient, polyoxovanadate-alkoxide (POV-alkoxide) cluster, [nBu4N][V6O6(OMe)12(MeCN)], and its subsequent reactivity with oxygen (O2), has demonstrated the utility of these assemblies as molecular models for heterogeneous metal oxide catalysts. However, the mechanism through which this cluster activates and reduces O2 to generate the oxygenated species is poorly understood. Currently it is speculated that this POV-alkoxide mediates the four-electron O-O bond cleavage through an O2 bridged dimeric intermediate, a mechanism which is not viable for O2 reduction at solid-state metal oxide surfaces. Here, we report the successful activation and reduction of O2 by the calix-functionalized POV-alkoxide cluster, [nBu4N][(calix)V6O6(OMe)8](MeCN)] (calix = 4-tert-butylcalix[4]arene). The steric hindrance imparted to the open vanadium site by the calix motif eliminates the possibility of cooperative, bimolecular O2 activation, allowing for a comparison of the reactivity of this system with that of the nonfunctionalized POV-alkoxide described previously. Rigorous characterization of the calix-substituted assembly, enabled by its newfound solubility in organic solvent, reveals that the incorporation of the tetradentate aryloxide ligand into the POV-alkoxide scaffold perturbs the electronic communication between the site-differentiated vanadium(III) ion and the cluster core. Collectively, our results provide insight into the physiochemical factors that are important during the O2 reduction reaction at oxygen-deficient sites in reduced POV-alkoxide clusters.