Ka band ESEEM spectroscopy was used to determine the hyperfine (
hfi) and nuclear quadrupole(
nqi) interaction parameters for the oxo-
17O ligand in [Mo
17O(SPh)
4]
-, a spectroscopic model of the oxo-Mo(V) centers of enzymes. The isotropic
hfi constant of 6.5 MHz found for the oxo-
17O is much smallerthan the values of ~20-40 MHz typical for the
17O nucleus of an equatorial OH
(2) ligand in molybdenumenzymes. The
17O
nqi parameter (
e2qQ/
h = 1.45 MHz,
0) is the first to be obtained for an oxo groupin a metal complex. The parameters of the oxo-
17O ligand, as well as other magnetic resonance parametersof [Mo
17O(SPh)
4]
- predicted by quasi-relativistic DFT calculations, were in good agreement with thoseobtained in experiment. From the electronic structure of the complex revealed by DFT, it follows that theSOMO is almost entirely molybdenum d
xy and sulfur p, while the spin density on the oxo-
17O is negative,determined by spin polarization mechanisms. The results of this work will enable direct experimentalidentification of the oxo ligand in a variety of chemical and biological systems.