Methylrhenium trioxide revisited: mechanisms for nonredox oxygen insertion in an M-CH3 bond

Methylrhenium trioxide (MTO) has the rare ability to stoichiometrically generate methanol at room temperature with an external oxidant (H2O2) under basic conditions. In order to use this transformation as a model for nonredox oxidative C-O coupling, the mechanisms have been elucidated using density functional theory (DFT). Our studies show several possible reaction pathways to form methanol, with the lowest net barrier (DeltaH++) being 23.3 kcal mol-1. The rate-determining step is a direct "Baeyer-Villiger" type concerted oxygen insertion into MTO, forming methoxyrhenium trioxide. The key to the low-energy transition state is the donation of electron density, first, from HOO(-) to the -CH3 group (making -CH3 more nucleophilic and HOO- more electrophilic) and, second, from the Re-C bond to both the forming Re-O and breaking O-O bonds, simultaneously (thus forming the Re-O bond as the Re-C bond is broken). In turn, the ability of MTO to undergo these transfers can be traced to the electrophilic nature of the metal center and to the absence of accessible d-orbitals. If accessible d-orbitals are present, they would most likely donate the required electron density instead of the M-CH3 moiety, and this bond would thus not be broken. It is possible that other metal centers with similar qualities, such as PtIV or IrV, could be competent for the same type of chemistry.