Unusual oxidation of phosphines employing water as the oxygen atom source and tris(benzene-1,2-dithiolate)molybdenum(VI) as the oxidant. A functional molybdenum hydroxylase analogue system

An investigation of the kinetics of the reaction of [Mo.sup.VI]{[S.sub.2][C.sub.6][H.sub.4]}[.sub.3] with organic phosphines to produce the anionic Mo(V) complex, [Mo.sup.VI]{[S.sub.2][C.sub.6][H.sub.4]}[.sub.3][.sup.-], and phosphine oxide is presented. Oxygen isotope tracing confirms that water rather than dioxygen is the source of the oxygen atom which is transferred to the phosphine, a reactivity which parallels oxidase activity of xanthine enzyme with phosphine as oxygen atom acceptor and [Mo.sup.VI]{[S.sub.2][C.sub.6][H.sub.4]}[.sub.3] as electron acceptor.