(Cyclopentadienyl)trioxorhenium(VII) - No match for methyltrioxorhenium (MTO)

Together with a further improvement of the synthesis of (cyclopentadienyl)trioxorhenium(VII), CpReO₃, its reaction chemistry and catalytic activity is also revisited in greater detail. However, in spite of the high catalytic activity of the homologous methyltrioxorhenium(VII) (MTO) and the related CpMo(O₂)X, (X = R, Hal, etc.) it is seen that CpReO₃ suffers greatly from the lability of the Cp-Re bond under oxidative conditions and in the presence of electron donor ligands. (Cyclopentadienyl)trioxo-rhenium(VII) although accessible very conveniently, neither matches the rich reaction chemistry of its pentamethylcyclopentadienyl derivative, Cp*ReO₃ nor the catalytic versatility of MTO.