Methyltrioxorhenium

Methyltrioxorhenium, usually abbreviated as MTO, was first synthesized in 1979. However, the difficulties that accompanied this original synthesis prevented a more detailed examination for nearly ten years. An efficient and straightforward synthetic accessway, established in 1988, opened the door for the detailed examination of both the properties and the application of the molecule. The second decade of MTO shows a nearly unprecedented story of success. An extremely broad field of applications in catalysis, especially in oxidation catalysis, has been established in laboratories all over the world and several related complexes, also applicable in various catalytic processes have been synthesized during the recent years.