Mo2O5(OCH3)2and Mo2O5(OCH3)2·2CH3OH: New Structural Insights Derived from Reaction Chemistry and Diffraction Techniques

The reaction of molybdenum trioxide dihydrate, MoO3· 2H2O, with methanol produces the title compounds. That these molybdenum oxy-methoxides decompose with liberation of CH2O suggests that they represent exquisite models for selective oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde over molybdate catalysts. Although a number of physical techniques have been employed to elucidate certain structural features, the actual structures remain unknown. However, their unit cells have been determined for the first time by employing the complimentary nature of electron and powder diffraction techniques. This information coupled with structural insights derived from careful studies of the reaction chemistry, in particular, the synthesis and characterization of a new amorphous intermediate, MoO3·CH3OH, has allowed fairly detailed structures for these interesting molybdenum oxy-methoxide materials to be proposed.