Generation of a Reactive ( i -Pr 2 NP) 2 Fe 2 (CO) 6 Intermediate by Extrusion of a Phosphorus-Bridging Carbonyl Group: Matrix Isolation and Chemical Reactivity Studies

Abstract

A reactive ( i -Pr 2 NP) 2 Fe 2 (CO) 6 intermediate, which is generated by heating ( i -Pr 2 NP) 2 COFe 2 (CO) 6 in boiling toluene, adds to a variety of multiple bonds including the C=O bonds of aldehydes, ketones, maleic anhydride, and phthalic anhydride; the C L N bonds of saturated nitriles; and the C=C bond of acrylonitrile. Photolysis at <380 nm of ( i -Pr 2 NP) 2 COFe 2 (CO) 6 in a Nujol matrix at 90 K also results in extrusion of the phosphorus-bridging CO group to give a pattern of infrared metal x (CO) frequencies suggestive of an intermediate of D 2 h symmetry.