Gas-phase reactivity of metavanadate [VO3]- towards methanol and ethanol: experiment and theory.
The gas-phase reactivity of the metavanadate anion [VO3]- towards methanol and ethanol was examined by a combination of ion-molecule reaction and isotope labelling experiments in a quadrupole ion-trap mass spectrometer. The experimental data were interpreted with the aid of density functional theory calculations. [VO3]- dehydrated methanol to eliminate water and form [VO2(eta2-OCH2)]-, which features an [eta2-C,O-OCH2]2- ligand formed by formal removal of two protons from methanol and which is isoelectronic with peroxide. [VO3]- reacted with ethanol in an analogous manner to form [VO2(eta2-OCHCH3)]-, as well as by loss of ethene to form [VO2(OH)2]-. The calculations predicted that important intermediates in these reactions were the hydroxo alkoxo anions [VO2(OH)(OCH2R)]- (R: H, CH3). These were predicted to undergo intramolecular hydrogen-atom transfer to form [VO(OH)2(eta1-OCHR)]- followed by eta1-O-->eta2-C,O rearrangements to form [VO(OH)2(eta2-OCHR)]-. The latter reacted further to eliminate water and generate the product [VO2(eta2-OCHR)]-. This major product observed for [VO3]- is markedly different from that observed previously for [NbO3]- containing the heavier Group 5 congener niobium. In that case, the major product of the reaction was an ion of stoichiometry [Nb, O3, H2]- arising from the formal dehydrogenation of methanol to formaldehyde. The origin of this difference was examined theoretically and attributed to the intermediate alkoxo anion [NbO2(OH)(OCH3)]- preferring hydride transfer to form [HNbO2(OH)]- with loss of formaldehyde. This contrasts with the hydrogen-atom-transfer pathway observed for [VO2(OH)(OCH3)]-.
School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. waterst@unimelb.edu.au
Tom
T
Waters
Anthony G
AG
Wedd
Richard A J
RA
O'Hair
D004563:Electrochemistry; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry*; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D000432:Methanol / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D014638:Vanadates / Q000737:chemistry*
D005740:Gases; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D000431:Ethanol; D014638:Vanadates; D000432:Methanol