Electron transfer and catalysis with high-valent metal-oxo complexes

High-valent metal-oxo complexes are produced by reductive activation of dioxygen via reduction of metal complexes with reductants and dioxygen. Photoinduced electron transfer from substrates to metal complexes with dioxygen also leads to the generation of high-valent metal-oxo complexes that can oxygenate substrates. In such a case metal complexes act as a photocatalyst to oxygenate substrates with dioxygen. High-valent metal-oxo complexes are also produced by proton-coupled electron-transfer oxidation of metal complexes by one-electron oxidants with water, oxygenating substrates to regenerate metal complexes. In such a case metal complexes act as a catalyst for electron-transfer oxygenation of substrates by one-electron oxidants with water that acts as an oxygen source. The one-electron oxidants which can oxidize metal complexes can be replaced by much weaker oxidants by a combination of redox photocatalysts and metal complexes. Thus, photocatalytic oxygenation of substrates proceeds via photoinduced electron transfer from a photocatalyst to reductants followed by proton-coupled electron transfer oxidation of metal complexes with the oxidized photocatalyst to produce high-valent metal-oxo complexes that oxygenate substrates. Thermal and photoinduced electron-transfer catalytic reactions of high-valent metal-oxo complexes for oxygenation of substrates using water or dioxygen as an oxygen source are summarized in this perspective.