Oxidative C-C bond cleavage of primary alcohols and vicinal diols catalyzed by H5PV2Mo10O40 by an electron transfer and oxygen transfer reaction mechanism

Primary alcohols such as 1-butanol were oxidized by the H5PV2Mo10O40 polyoxometalate in an atypical manner. Instead of C-H bond activation leading to the formation of butanal and butanoic acid, C-C bond cleavage took place leading to the formation of propanal and formaldehyde as initial products. The latter reacted with the excess 1-butanol present to yield butylformate and butylpropanate in additional oxidative transformations. Kinetic studies including measurement of kinetic isotope effects, labeling studies with 18O labeled H5PV2Mo10O40, and observation of a prerate determining step intermediate by 13C NMR leads to the formulation of a reaction mechanism based on electron transfer from the substrate to the polyoxometalate and oxygen transfer from the reduced polyoxometalate to the organic substrate. It was also shown that vicinal diols such as 1,2-ethanediol apparently react by a similar reaction mechanism.     

Selective ortho hydroxylation of nitrobenzene with molecular oxygen catalyzed by the H5PV2Mo10O40 polyoxometalate

Nitrobenzene was regioselectively oxidized to 2-nitrophenol with oxygen in a reaction catalyzed by the H5PV2Mo10O40 polyoxometalate. The reaction was first order in oxygen and catalyst. 15N NMR showed the interaction between nitrobenzene and the polyoxometalate. Use of labeled 18O2, H218O, a competitive kinetic isotope experiment, and use of phenyl-tert-butylnitrone as a spin-trap and identification by EPR provided evidence for formation of a radical intermediate involving a selective intramolecular interaction at the ortho position due to formation of a H5PV2Mo10O40-nitrobenzene complex.     

Mild, aqueous, aerobic, catalytic oxidation of methane to methanol and acetaldehyde catalyzed by a supported bipyrimidinylplatinum-polyoxometalate hybrid compound

We have demonstrated that a bipyrimidinylplatinum-polyoxometalate, [Pt(Mebipym)Cl2]+[H4PV2Mo10O40]-, supported on silica is an active catalyst for the aerobic oxidation of methane to methanol in water under mild reaction conditions. Further oxidation of methanol yields acetaldehyde. The presence of the polyoxometalate is presumed to allow the facile oxidation of a Pt(II) intermediate to a Pt(IV) intermediate and to aid in the addition of methane to the Pt catalytic center.     

Tandem pinacol coupling-rearrangement of aromatic aldehydes with hydrogen catalyzed by a combination of a platinum complex and a polyoxometalate

Together with a strongly oxidizing polyoxometalate, H(5)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40), Pt(II)(N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)pyrazin-2-ylmethanimine)Cl2 forms a combined catalyst that was active in the tandem pinacol coupling-rearrangement of aryl aldehydes to give mostly the corresponding diarylacetaldehyde in high yields using molecular hydrogen as the reducing agent.     

Polyethylene glycol as a non-ionic liquid solvent for polyoxometalate catalyzed aerobic oxidation

The H5PV2Mo10O40 polyoxometalate in a polyethylene glycol solvent was effective for a series of aerobic oxidation reactions including oxydehydrogenation of alcohols and cyclic dienes, oxidation of sulfides and the Wacker reaction; the solvent-catalyst phase can be recovered and recycled.     

Electron and oxygen transfer in polyoxometalate, H(5)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40), catalyzed oxidation of aromatic and alkyl aromatic compounds: evidence for aerobic Mars-van Krevelen-type reactions in the liquid homogeneous phase

The mechanism of aerobic oxidation of aromatic and alkyl aromatic compounds using anthracene and xanthene, respectively, as a model compound was investigated using a phosphovanadomolybdate polyoxometalate, H(5)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40), as catalyst under mild, liquid-phase conditions. The polyoxometalate is a soluble analogue of insoluble mixed-metal oxides often used for high-temperature gas-phase heterogeneous oxidation which proceed by a Mars-van Krevelen mechanism. The general purpose of the present investigation was to prove that a Mars-van Krevelen mechanism is possible also in liquid-phase, homogeneous oxidation reactions. First, the oxygen transfer from H(5)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40) to the hydrocarbons was studied using various techniques to show that commonly observed liquid-phase oxidation mechanisms, autoxidation, and oxidative nucleophilic substitution were not occurring in this case. Techniques used included (a) use of (18)O-labeled molecular oxygen, polyoxometalate, and water; (b) carrying out reactions under anaerobic conditions; (c) performing the reaction with an alternative nucleophile (acetate) or under anhydrous conditions; and (d) determination of the reaction stoichiometry. All of the experiments pointed against autoxidation and oxidative nucleophilic substitution and toward a Mars-van Krevelen mechanism. Second, the mode of activation of the hydrocarbon was determined to be by electron transfer, as opposed to hydrogen atom transfer from the hydrocarbon to the polyoxometalate. Kinetic studies showed that an outer-sphere electron transfer was probable with formation of a donor-acceptor complex. Further studies enabled the isolation and observation of intermediates by ESR and NMR spectroscopy. For anthracene, the immediate result of electron transfer, that is formation of an anthracene radical cation and reduced polyoxometalate, was observed by ESR spectroscopy. The ESR spectrum, together with kinetics experiments, including kinetic isotope experiments and (1)H NMR, support a Mars-van Krevelen mechanism in which the rate-determining step is the oxygen-transfer reaction between the polyoxometalate and the intermediate radical cation. Anthraquinone is the only observable reaction product. For xanthene, the radical cation could not be observed. Instead, the initial radical cation undergoes fast additional proton and electron transfer (or hydrogen atom transfer) to yield a stable benzylic cation observable by (1)H NMR. Again, kinetics experiments support the notion of an oxygen-transfer rate-determining step between the xanthenyl cation and the polyoxometalate, with formation of xanthen-9-one as the only product. Schemes summarizing the proposed reaction mechanisms are presented.     

Oxidation of alkylarenes by nitrate catalyzed by polyoxophosphomolybdates: synthetic applications and mechanistic insights

Alkylarenes were catalytically and selectively oxidized to the corresponding benzylic acetates and carbonyl products by nitrate salts in acetic acid in the presence of Keggin type molybdenum-based heteropolyacids, H(3+)(x)()PV(x)()Mo(12)(-)(x)()O(40) (x = 0-2). H(5)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40) was especially effective. For methylarenes there was no over-oxidation to the carboxylic acid contrary to what was observed for nitric acid as oxidant. The conversion to the aldehyde/ketone could be increased by the addition of water to the reaction mixture. As evidenced by IR and (15)N NMR spectroscopy, initially the nitrate salt reacted with H(5)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40) to yield a N(V)O(2)(+)[H(4)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40)] intermediate. In an electron-transfer reaction, the proposed N(V)O(2)(+)[H(4)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40)] complex reacts with the alkylarene substrate to yield a radical-cation-based donor-acceptor intermediate, N(IV)O(2)[H(4)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40)]-ArCH(2)R(+)(*). Concurrent proton transfer yields an alkylarene radical, ArCHR(*), and NO(2). Alternatively, it is possible that the N(V)O(2)(+)[H(4)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40)] complex abstracts a hydrogen atom from alkylarene substrate to directly yield ArCHR(*) and NO(2). The electron transfer-proton transfer and hydrogen abstraction scenarios are supported by the correlation of the reaction rate with the ionization potential and the bond dissociation energy at the benzylic positions of the alkylarene, respectively, the high kinetic isotope effect determined for substrates deuterated at the benzylic position, and the reaction order in the catalyst. Product selectivity in the oxidation of phenylcyclopropane tends to support the electron transfer-proton transfer pathway. The ArCHR(*) and NO(2) radical species undergo heterocoupling to yield a benzylic nitrite, which undergoes hydrolysis or acetolysis and subsequent reactions to yield benzylic acetates and corresponding aldehydes or ketones as final products.     

Oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene with molecular oxygen using emulsion catalysis

Dibenzothiophene (DBT) is oxidized to the corresponding sulfoxide and sulfone in an emulsion system (W/O) composed of polyoxometalate anion [C(18)H(37)N(CH(3))3](5)[PV(2)Mo(10)O(40)] as both the surfactant and catalyst, using molecular oxygen as the oxidant and aldehyde as the sacrificial agent under mild conditions.     

Cupric decamolybdodivanadophosphate. A coordination polymer heterogeneous catalyst for rapid, high conversion, high selectivity sulfoxidation using the ambient environment

A new type of coordination network polymer involving the redox-active polyanion, PV(2)Mo(10)O(40)(5)(-), and bridging -Cu(II)(OH(2))(4)- units, [[(Cu(II)(OH(2))(4))(3)(OH)]PV(2)Mo(10)O(40)](n)() (1), has been characterized by X-ray crystallography and several other methods. It is the first efficient heterogeneous (insoluble) catalyst for selective and rapid sulfoxidation using only the ambient environment (air at room temperature). Catalytic activity is enhanced by soluble nitrate in nontoxic perfluoropolyether (PFPE) media.     

Nitration of alkanes with nitric acid by vanadium-substituted polyoxometalates

The nitration of alkanes by using nitric acid as a nitrating agent in acetic acid was efficiently promoted by vanadium-substituted Keggin-type phosphomolybdates such as [H4PVMo11O40], [H5PV2Mo10O40], and [H6PV3Mo9O40] as catalyst precursors. A variety of alkanes including alkylbenzenes were nitrated to the corresponding nitroalkanes as major products in moderate yields with formation of oxygenated products under mild reaction conditions. The carbon--carbon bond cleavage reactions hardly proceeded. ESR, NMR, and IR spectroscopic data show that the vanadium-substituted polyoxometalate, for example, [H4PVMo11O40], decomposes to form free vanadium species and [PMo12O40](3-) Keggin anion. The reaction mechanism involving a radical-chain path is proposed. The polyoxometalates initially abstract the hydrogen of the alkane to form the alkyl radical and the reduced polyoxometalates. The reduced polyoxometalates subsequently react with nitric acid to produce the oxidized form and nitrogen dioxide. This step would be promoted mainly by the phosphomolybdates, [PMo12O40](n-), and the vanadium cations efficiently enhance the activity. The nitrogen dioxide promotes the further formation of nitrogen dioxide and an alkyl radical. The alkyl radical is trapped by nitrogen dioxide to form the corresponding nitroalkane.     

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Two-dimensional Framework Materials Constructed from Polyoxometalate and Coordination Groups:[H2Mo5.5V10.5O40(PO4)][Cu(en)2]4·7H2O

A novel compound [H2Mo5.5V10.5O40(PO4)][Cu(en)2]4*7H2O(1) was synthesized from V2O5, MoO3, CuCl2*2H2O, en, H3PO4 and H2O in an aqueous solution via the hydrothermal method and characterized by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analyses, IR, EPR spectra and thermal analyses. C16H80Cu4Mo5.5N16O51PV10.5 crystallized in a triclinic system, the space group is P1 with M=2660.63, a=1.283590(10) nm, b=1.289910(10) nm, c=1.387870(10) nm, V=1.80942(2) nm3, Z=2, Dx=4.883 g/cm3, F(000)=2599, μ=6.956 mm-1, (Δ/σ)=0.000, S=1.089. The crystal structure was solved by the direct methods with the final R=0.0752 and wR=0.1988 for 6311 observed reflections with I≥2σ(I). The X-ray crystallography reveals that compound 1 is a novel two-dimensional framework material constructed from the mixed Mo/V polyoxometalate and coordination groups.     

丙烯选择氧化反应中钼基催化剂动态结构的研究

 用原位共焦显微拉曼光谱技术考察了丙烷选择氧化反应中Ag－M\r\no－P－O催化剂的结构，讨论了催化剂动态结构的成因及其对催化剂性\r\n能的影响．实验结果表明，在773K和n（C3H8）∶n（O2）∶n（N2）＝\r\n3∶1∶4的反应条件下，Ag－Mo－P－O催化剂中的Mo－O物种可转化为A\r\ngMoO2PO4中的Mo－O物种（多钼酸根），此时催化剂对丙烷选择氧化具\r\n有较高的催化活性．催化剂中Mo－O物种的转化是由MoO3中Mo－O物种和\r\nAgMoO2PO4中Mo－O物种的结构特性决定的．AgMoO2PO4中的Mo－O物种具\r\n有较强的参与MarsvanKrevelen氧化－还原循环的能力，可能是丙烷选\r\n择氧化反应的活性物种．     

X-ray Crystal Structure and Characterization of Tetra-vanadyl Capped Highly Reduced Polyoxometalate Anion[PmoⅥ5MoⅤ7O40(VⅣO)4]2-

A novel polyoxometalate [H3O]2[PmoⅥ5MoⅤ7O40(VⅣO)4]*6Py(Py=pyridine) was synthesized and characterized by IR spectrometry, TG and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The title compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group(C2/m) with a=1.3680(3) nm, b=2.1740(4) nm, c=1.1630(2) nm, β=118.62(3)°, V=3.0362(10) nm3, Z=2, and R1(wR2)=0.0772(0.2312). The compound contains a highly reduced vanadylpolymolybdophosphate polyoxometalate anion with a four-capped structure. The four {VO} units cap four opposite pits of the pseudo-Keggin core {PMo12O40}.     

Cluster oxalate complexes [M3(mu3-Q)(mu2-Q2)3(C2O4)3]2- and [Mo3(mu3-Q)(mu2-Q)3(C2O4)3(H2O)3]2- (M = Mo, W; Q = S, Se): mechanochemical synthesis and crystal structure

Mechanochemical reaction of cluster coordination polymers 1infinity[M3Q7Br4] (M = Mo, W; Q = S, Se) with solid K2C2O4 leads to cluster core excision with the formation of anionic complexes [M3Q7(C2O4)3]2-. Extraction of the reaction mixture with water followed by crystallization gives crystalline K2[M3Q7(C2O4)3].0.5KBr.nH2O (M = Mo, Q = S, n = 3 (1); M = Mo, Q = Se, n = 4 (2); M = W, Q = S, n = 5 (3)). Cs2[Mo3S7(C2O4)3].0.5CsCl.3.5H2O (4) and (Et4N)1.5H0.5K{[Mo3S7(C2O4)3]Br}.2H2O (5) were also prepared. Close Q...Br contacts result in the formation of ionic triples {[M3Q7(C2O4)3](2)Br}5- in 1-4 and the 1:1 adduct {[Mo3S7(C2O4)3]Br}3- in 5. Treatment of 1 or 2 with PPh(3) leads to chalcogen abstraction with the formation of [Mo3(mu3-Q)(mu2-Q)3(C2O4)3(H2O)3]2-, isolated as (Ph4P)2[Mo3(mu3-S)(mu2-S)3(C2O4)3(H2O)3].11H2O (6) and (Ph4P2[Mo3(mu3-Se)(mu2-Se)3(C2O4)3(H2O)3].8.5H2O.0.5C2H5OH (7). All compounds were characterized by X-ray structure analysis. IR, Raman, electronic, and 77Se NMR spectra are also reported. Thermal decomposition of 1-3 was studied by thermogravimetry.     

Modified polyoxometalates: Hydrothermal syntheses and crystal structures of three novel reduced and capped Keggin derivatives decorated by transition metal complexes

Three novel polyoxometalate derivatives decorated by transition metal complexes have been hydrothermally synthesized. Compound 1 consists of [PMo(VI)(6)Mo(V)(2)V(IV)(8)O(44)[Co (2,2'-bipy)(2)(H(2)O)](4)](3+) polyoxocations and [PMo(VI)(4-)Mo(V)(4)V(IV)(8)O(44)[Co(2,2'-bipy)(2)(H(2)O)](2)](3-) polyoxoanions, which are both built on mixed-metal tetracapped [PMo(8)V(8)O(44)] subunits covalently bonded to four or two [Co(2,2'-bpy)(2)(H(2)O)](2+) clusters via terminal oxo groups of the capping V atoms. Compound 2 is built on [PMo(VI)(8)V(IV)(6)O(42)[Cu(I)(phen)](2)](5-) clusters constructed from mixed-metal bicapped [PMo(VI)(8)V(IV)(6)O(42)](7-) subunits covalently bonded to two [Cu(phen)](+) fragments in the similar way to 1. The structure of 3 is composed of [PMo(VI)(9)Mo(V)(3)O(40)](6-) units capped by two divalent Ni atoms via four bridging oxo groups. The crystal data for these are the following: C(120)H(126)Co(6)Mo(16)N(24)O(103)P(2)V(16) (1), triclinic P1, a = 15.6727(2) A, b = 17.3155(3) A, c = 19.5445(2) A, alpha = 86.1520(1) degrees, beta = 81.2010(1) degrees, gamma = 63.5970(1) degrees, Z = 1; C(120)H(85)Cu(6-)Mo(8)N(20)O(44)PV(6) (2), triclinic P1, a = 14.565(4) A, b = 15.899(3) A, c = 16.246(4) A, alpha = 116.289(2) degrees, beta = 103.084(2) degrees, gamma = 94.796(2) degrees, Z = 1; C(60)H(40)Mo(12)N(10)Ni(3)O(40)P (3), monoclinic P2(1)/c, a = 14.804(3) A, b = 22.137(4) A, c = 25.162(5) A, alpha = 90 degrees, beta = 98.59(3) degrees, gamma = 90 degrees, Z = 4.     

Protonation of phosphovanadomolybdates H(3+x)PV(x)Mo(12-x)O40: computational insight into reactivity

Protonated phosphovanadomolybdates of the Keggin structure, H(3+x)PV(x)Mo(12-x)O(40) where x = 0, 1, 2, and derivatives with surface defects formed by loss of constitutional water were studied using high-level DFT calculations toward determination of the most stable species and possible active forms in oxidation catalysis in both the gas phase and in polar solutions. The calculations demonstrate that protonation at bridging positions is energetically much more favorable than protonation of terminal oxygen atoms. The preferential protonation site is determined by the stability of the metal-oxygen bond rather than the negative charge on the oxygen atom. In H(3)PMo(12)O(40), maximum distances between protons at bridging oxygen atoms are energetically favored. In contrast, for H(4)PVMo(11)O(40) and H(5)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40) protons prefer nucleophilic sites adjacent to vanadium atoms. Up to three protons are bound to the nucleophilic sites around the same vanadium atom in the stable isomeric forms of H(5)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40) that result in strong destabilization of oxo-vanadium(V) bonding to the Keggin unit. Such behavior arises from the different nature of the Mo-O and V-O bonds that can be traced to the different sizes of the valence d orbitals of the metals. Coordination of two protons at the same site yields water and an oxygen defect as a result of its dissociation. The energetic cost for the formation of surface defects decreases in the order: O(t) ? O(c) ? O(e) and is lower for the sites adjacent to vanadium atoms. Vanadium atoms near defects also have a significant contribution to the LUMO. Thus, vanadium-substituted polyoxometalates with defects near and, especially, between vanadium atoms present a plausible active form of polyoxometalates in oxidation reactions.     

Catalysts for monooxygenations made from polyoxometalate: an iron(V)-oxo derivative of the Lindqvist anion

This work uses density functional calculations to design a new high-valent Fe(V)=O catalyst [Mo5O18Fe=O]3-, which is based on the Lindqvist polyoxometalate (Mo6O19(2-)). Because the parent species is stable to oxidative conditions, one may assume that the newly proposed iron-oxo species will be stable, too. The calculated M?ssbauer spectroscopic data may be helpful toward an eventual identification of the species. The calculations of C-H hydroxylation and C=C epoxidation of propene show that, if made, [Mo5O18Fe=O]3- should be a potent oxidant that will be subject to strong solvent effect. Moreover, the Lindqvist catalyst leads to an intriguing result; the reaction that starts along an epoxidation pathway with C=C activation ends with a C-H hydroxylation product ((4)6) due to rearrangement on the catalyst. The origins of this result are analyzed in terms of the structure of the catalyst and the electronic requirements for conversion of an epoxidation intermediate to a hydroxylation product. Thus, if made, the [Mo5O18Fe=O]3 will be a selective C-H hydroxylation reagent.     

Molecular oxygen and oxidation catalysis by phosphovanadomolybdates

The history of aerobic catalytic oxidation mediated by a subclass of polyoxometalates, the phosphovanadomolybdates of the Keggin structure, [PV(x)Mo(12-x)O40](3+x)-, is described. In the earlier research it was shown that phosphovanadomolybdates catalyze oxydehydrogenation reactions through an electron-transfer oxidation of a substrate by the polyoxometalate that is then reoxidized by oxygen. These aerobic oxidations are selective and synthetically useful in various transformations, notably diene aromatization, phenol dimerization and alcohol oxidation. Oxygen transfer from the polyoxometalate to arenes and alkylarenes was also discussed as a homogeneous analog of a Mars-van Krevelen oxidation. "Second generation" catalysts include binary complexes of the polyoxometalate and a organometallic compound useful, for example, for methane oxidation and nanoparticles stabilized by polyoxometalates effective for aerobic alkene epoxidation.     

Chemical, pulse radiolysis and density functional studies of a new, labile 5,6-indolequinone and its semiquinone

The chemical and spectroscopic characterization of 5,6-indolequinones and their semiquinones, key transient intermediates in the oxidative conversion of 5,6-dihydroxyindoles to eumelanin biopolymers, is a most challenging task. In the present paper, we report the characterization of a novel, relatively long-lived 5,6-indolequinone along with its semiquinone using an integrated chemical, pulse radiolytic, and computational approach. The quinone was obtained by oxidation of 5,6-dihydroxy-3-iodoindole (1a) with o-chloranil in cold ethyl acetate or aqueous buffer: it displayed electronic absorption bands around 400 and 600 nm, was reduced to 1a with Na2S2O4, and reacted with o-phenylenediamine to give small amounts of 3-iodo-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]phenazine (2). The semiquinone exhibited absorption maxima at 380 nm (sh) and 520 nm and was detected as the initial species produced by pulse radiolytic oxidation of 1a at pH 7.0. DFT investigations indicated the 6-phenoxyl radical and the N-protonated radical anion as the most stable tautomers for the neutral and anion forms of the semiquinone, respectively. Calculated absorption spectra in water gave bands at 350 (sh) and 500 nm for the neutral form and at 310 and 360 (sh) nm for the anion. Disproportionation of the semiquinone with fast second-order kinetics (2k = 1.1 x 1010 M-1 s-1) gave a chromophore with absorption bands resembling those of chemically generated 1a quinone. Computational analysis predicted 1a quinone to exist in vacuo as the quinone-methide tautomer, displaying low energy transitions at 380 and 710 nm, and in water as the o-quinone, with calculated absorption bands around 400 and 820 nm. A strong participation of a p orbital on the iodine atom in the 360-380 nm electronic transitions of the o-quinone and quinone-methide was highlighted. The satisfactory agreement between computational and experimental electronic absorption data would suggest partitioning of 1a quinone between the o-quinone and quinone-methide tautomers depending on the medium.     

Vanadium-based, extended catalytic lifetime catechol dioxygenases: evidence for a common catalyst

In 1999, a catechol dioxygenase derived from a V-polyoxometalate was reported which was able to perform a record >100 000 total turnovers of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol oxygenation using O2 as the oxidant (Weiner, H.; Finke, R. G. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 9831). An important goal is to better understand this and other vanadium-based catechol dioxygenases. Scrutiny of 11 literature reports of vanadium-based catechol dioxygenases yielded the insight that they all proceed with closely similar selectivities. This, in turn, led to a "common catalyst hypothesis" for the broad range of vanadium based catechol dioxygenase precatalysts presently known. The following three classes of V-based compounds, 10 complexes total, have been explored to test the common catalyst hypothesis: (i) six vanadium-based polyoxometalate precatalysts, (n-Bu4N)4H5PV14O42, (n-Bu4N)7SiW9V3O40, (n-Bu4N)5[(CH3CN)(x)Fe(II).SiW9V3O40], (n-Bu4N)9P2W15V3O62, (n-Bu4N)5Na2[(CH3CN)(x)Fe(II).P2W15V3O62], and (n-Bu4N)4H2-gamma-SiW10V2O40; (ii) three vanadium catecholate complexes, [V(V)O(DBSQ)(DTBC)]2, [Et3NH]2[V(IV)O(DBTC)2].2CH3OH, and [Na(CH3OH)2]2[V(V)(DTBC)3]2.4CH3OH (where DBSQ = 3,5-di-tert-butylsemiquinone anion and DTBC = 3,5-di-tert-butylcatecholate dianion), and (iii) simple VO(acac)2. Product selectivity studies, catalytic lifetime tests, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR), negative ion mode electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (negative ion ESI-MS), and kinetic studies provided compelling evidence for a common catalyst or catalyst resting state, namely, Pierpont's structurally characterized vanadyl semiquinone catecholate dimer complex, [VO(DBSQ)(DTBC)]2, formed from V-leaching from the precatalysts. The results provide a considerable simplification and unification of a previously disparate literature of V-based catechol dioxygenases.