Electrochemical and DFT studies of the oxidative decomposition of the trihydride complexes Cp*M(dppe)H3 (M = Mo, W) in acetonitrile

International audience; A detailed electrochemical study of the oxidative decomposition of the trihydride complexes Cp*M(dppe)H3 (M = Mo, W) in acetonitrile is presented. For the Mo complex, the decomposition occurs by four different pathways involving classical and non-classical tautomers, whereas only the classical form is accessible for the W derivative. Each of the decomposition pathways has been quantitatively assessed by analyses of the linear sweep voltammograms. In addition to the previously established (B. Pleune, D. Morales, R. Meunier-Prest, P. Richard, E. Collange, J. C. Fettinger and R. Poli, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1999, 121, 2209–2225) deprotonation, disproportionation, and H2 red…