Silica-Supported Molybdenum Oxo Alkylidenes: Bridging the Gap between Internal and Terminal Olefin Metathesis

Grafting a molybdenum oxo alkylidene on silica (partially dehydroxylated at 700 °C) affords the first example of a well-defined silica-supported Mo oxo alkylidene, which is an analogue of the putative active sites in heterogeneous Mo-based metathesis catalysts. In contrast to its tungsten analogue, which shows poor activity towards terminal olefins because of the formation of a stable off-cycle metallacyclobutane intermediate, the Mo catalyst shows high metathesis activity for both terminal and internal olefins that is consistent with the lower stability of Mo metallacyclobutane intermediates. This Mo oxo metathesis catalyst also outperforms its corresponding neutral silica-supported Mo and W imido analogues.