Lewis Acid-Assisted Molybdenum(VI) Complexes with S, N-bidentate Ligands to Reduce Nitrate

Two readily-accessible molybdenum complexes with low sterically hindered S, N-bidentate ligands were designed for the reduction of nitrate to nitrite. The Lewis acid Sc(III) acted as a significant co-catalyst to enhance the catalytic efficiency by activating the N-O bond of nitrate. This study indicates that molybdenum complexes in cooperation with a Lewis acid offer functional Mo-catalyst systems, which present functional artificial models of the natural molybdenum enzymes.