Our
experience of the reactivity of
hexamolybdate compared with that of
hexatungstate suggested that the
molybdenum
analogues
of these heterometalates would be
more
reactive
than the tungstates.
In
addition, as molybdates are generally more
readily reduced than tungstates, we
expected that
electron
transfer
onto the molybdenum analogues would be
more favourable than for the tungstate
species.
However,
we wanted to develop reactions which do
not require molybdenum
oxoalkoxide
as these compounds are less convenient to
prepare and handle than the tungsten
oxoalkoxides.
