Highly efficient MoIV3•••SbIII cluster frustrated Lewis pair hydrogenation

Frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) featuring Lewis acid–base synergistic action have been recognized as one of the most powerful bifunctional catalytic systems. Each Lewis component, however, is usually composed of a single atom and hence lacks a cooperative effect. In this work, cluster FLPs (CFLPs) comprised of a triangularly Mo–Mo bonded MoIV3 Lewis acidic cluster component and a Lewis basic SbIII partner in H[SbIII3MoIV3MoVI15O55(OH)2py3] (1) have been developed. The more extensive cooperative actions both within MoIV3 and between MoIV3 and SbIII account for the excellent catalytic performance of 1, providing a new way of thinking for the designed synthesis of highly efficient FLP catalysts.