Molybdenum Sulfur Complexes and their Sulfur Abstraction Reaction with Cyanide

Sigríður Guðrún Suman, Associate Professor, University of Iceland.

Molybdenum sulfur complexes are well known as models for Xanthine Oxidase.  As a class of compounds, they are also known as Hydrodesulfurization catalysts. Sulfide ligands of these complexes account for much of the rich reactivity observed due to their lability and participation in redox reactions.  This presentation describes how molybdenum sulfur complexes catalyze the reaction of cyanide and thiosulfate; a well known and rather slow reaction, to form thiocyanate and sulfite.