30-Electron cationic iron- and cobalt-containing triple-decker complexes with a central cyclopentadienyl ligand. The first synthesis of the parent triple-decker iron complex with cyclopentadienyl ligands, [(η-C5H5)Fe(μ-η:η-C5H5)Fe(η-C5H5)]PF6

Abstract

The parent 30-electron triple-decker iron complex with cyclopentadienyl ligands, [(η-C5H5)Fe(μ-η:η-C5H5)Fe(η-C5H5)]PF6 (1), was prepared for the first time by visible-light irradiation of ferrocene and [(η-C5H5)Fe(η-C6H6)]PF6 in CH2Cl2 at 0 °C. An analogous reaction performed with the use of (η-C5H5)Co(η-C4Me4) (2) instead of ferrocene afforded the thermally labile 30-electron cationic iron-cobalt triple-decker complex [(η-C5H5)Fe(μ-η:η-C5H5)Co(η-C4Me4)]PF6. The latter reacted with compound 2 at 20 °C to form the symmetrical 30-electron cationic dicobalt triple-decker complex [(η-C4Me4)Co(μ-η:η-C5H5)Co(η-C4Me4)] PF6.