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Methylrhenium trioxide, also known as methyltrioxorhenium, is an organometallic compound with the formula CH3ReO3. It is a volatile, colourless solid has been used as a catalyst in some laboratory experiments. In this compound, Re has a tetrahedral coordination environment with one methyl and three oxo ligands. The oxidation state of rhenium is +7.
Synthesis
Methylrhenium trioxide is commercially available. It can be prepared by many routes, a typical method is the reaction of Re2O7 and tetramethyltin:
Re2O7 + (CH3)4Sn → CH3ReO3 + (CH3)3SnOReO3
Analogous alkyl and aryl derivatives are known. Compounds of the type RReO3 are Lewis acidic, forming both 1:1 and 1:2 adducts with halides and amines.
Uses
Methylrhenium trioxide serves as a heterogeneous catalyst for a variety of transformations. Supported on Al2O3/SiO2, it catalyzes olefin metathesis at 25 °C.
In solution, MTO catalyses for the oxidations with hydrogen peroxide. Terminal alkynes yield the corresponding acid or ester, internal alkynes yield diketones, and alkenes give epoxides. MTO also catalyses the conversion of aldehydes and diazoalkanes into an alkene.
References
Herrmann, W. A.; Kratzer R. M.; Fischer R. W. (1997). "Alkylrhenium Oxides from Perrhenates: A New, Economical Access to Organometallic Oxide Catalysts". Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl.36 (23): 2652–2654. doi:10.1002/anie.199726521.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Hudson, A. “Methyltrioxorhenium” Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis. John Wiley & Sons: New York, 2002.
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