Oxidation of coordinated thiophene: the preparation of Cp*Rh(tetramethylthiophene S-oxide)

Abstract

The coordination chemistry of thiophene is an active area of research that is relevant to a molecular-level understanding of metal-catalyzed fossil fuel desulfurization. Previous research in this area has emphasized the role of the metal in promoting the reduction of the heterocycle. The authors have discovered a pathway whereby metals facilitate the oxidation of coordinated thiophene. The present communication is based on the following experiment: when a toluene solution of (1){sup 0} is stirred under a dry oxygen atmosphere for 24 h, the authors observe a clean conversion to the corresponding thiophene S-oxide complex Cp*Rh(TMTO).