Dimolybdenum tetracarboxylates as auxiliary chromophores in chiroptical studies of vic-diols.

The aim of the present work was to check the suitability of dimolybdenum carboxylates, other than commonly used [Mo2(OAc)4], as auxiliary chromophores for determining the absolute configuration of optically active vic-diols by means of electronic circular dichroism (ECD). To this end, a set of dimolybdenum tetracarboxylates was synthesized, and subsequently, the two most promising compounds were selected, namely dimolybdenum tetrakis(μ-pivalate) and tetrakis(μ-isovalerate). The selection was based on their solubility in commonly used solvents, their stability in solution, their tolerance to air exposure, as well as their utility for dichroic studies. The stability of the obtained in situ chiral complexes was verified by measuring the dependence of ECD, UV-vis, and NMR spectra on time, temperature, and concentration. We have shown that the ECD spectra of diverse vic-diols with these complexes are suitable for configurational assignment based on the correlation between signs of Cotton effects (CEs) arising in the spectra and the stereostructure of the ligand. Furthermore, to aid in the interpretation of experimental results, a separate set of DFT calculations has been incorporated to provide additional insight into the structure of the chiral complexes involved. In contrast to the earlier assumptions, experiments showed that the chelating mode of ligation is preferred for the studied complexes.