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Abstract Catalysis ofO‐atom transfer (OAT) reactions is a characteristic of both natural (enzymatic) and synthetic molybdenum‐oxo and ‐peroxo complexes. These reactions can employ a variety of terminal oxidants, e. g. DMSO,N‐oxides, and peroxides, etc., but rarely molecular oxygen. Here we demonstrate the ability of a set of Schiff‐base‐MoO₂complexes (cy‐salen)MoO₂(cy‐salen=N,N’‐cyclohexyl‐1,2‐bis‐salicylimine) to catalyze the aerobic oxidation of PPh₃. We also report the results of a DFT computational investigation of the catalytic pathway, including the identification of energetically accessible intermediates and transition states, for the aerobic oxidation of PMe₃. Starting from the dioxo species, (cy‐salen)Mo(VI)O₂(1), key reaction steps include: 1) associative addition of PMe₃to an oxo‐O to give LMo(IV)(O)(OPMe₃) (2); 2) OPMe₃dissociation from2to produce mono‐oxo complex (cy‐salen)Mo(IV)O (3); 3) stepwise O₂association with3via superoxo species (cy‐salen)Mo(V)(O)(η¹‐O₂) (4) to form the oxo‐peroxo intermediate (cy‐salen)Mo(VI)(O)(η²‐O₂) (5); 4) theO‐transfer reaction of PMe₃with oxo‐peroxo species5at the oxo‐group, rather than the peroxo unit leading, after OPMe₃dissociation, to a monoperoxo species, (cy‐salen)Mo(IV)(η²‐O₂) (7); and 5) regeneration of the dioxo complex (cy‐salen)Mo(VI)O₂(1) from the monoperoxo triplet³7or singlet¹7by a concerted, asynchronous electronic isomerization. An alternative pathway for recycling of the oxo‐peroxo species5to the dioxo‐Mo1via a bimetallic peroxo complex LMo(O)‐O−O‐Mo(O)L8is determined to be energetically viable, but is unlikely to be competitive with the primary pathway for aerobic phosphine oxidation catalyzed by1.