Molybdenum-containing enzymes are present in all forms of life, ranging from bacteria to mammals, and catalyze important reactions involving oxidation and reduction of various substrates. All molybdoenzymes except nitrogenase contain a molybdopterin cofactor, which is similar to the classical non-innocent dithiolene ligand.

My project involves using sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and density functional theory (DFT) to determine the electronic structure of molybdenum bis(dithiolene) model complexes. This research should provide insight into the catalytic role of the molybdopterin cofactor in a class of molybdenum-containing enzymes.