Six-coordinate Iron Research Articles

Efficient and low-energy consumption degradation of bisphenol A in aqueous solutions and its density functional theory calculation

An advanced Fenton technique using urea peroxide (UHP) as an oxidant was studied for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution. Compared to the H2O2/Fe(II) system, the UHP/Fe(II) system performs noticeably better in terms of degradation and requires less catalyst. The mechanism by which UHP exhibits unique and remarkable properties has been elucidated at the molecular level (bond order, AIM analysis, ELF, Spin Population number, electron difference density maps) by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The ELF and the electron density difference revealed that UHP created an intermediate coordination compound with six-coordinated iron (II), facilitating electron transfer and the disruption of O-O bonds because of the feeble O-O strength, leading to an increase in hydroxyl radicals. Consequently, UHP increases the rate of electron usage and targeting efficiency, which accelerates the breakdown of BPA. targeting efficiency, which accelerates the breakdown of BPA. Based on the intermediates determined by LC-MS/MS, the possible degradation pathway of BPA in the UHP/Fe(II) system were proposed, which was verified to be a lower energy consumption pathway by calculating the reaction energy barriers. It is expected to be an advanced Fenton technology with practical engineering applications potential, due to the advantages of wider pH window, lower energy consumption and higher electron utilization.

Unusual Stabilisation of Remarkably Bent Tetra-Cationic Tetra-radical Intermolecular Fe(III) μ-Oxo Tetranuclear Complexes.

A hitherto unknown series of air stable, π-conjugated, remarkably bent tetra-cation tetra-radical intermolecular Fe(III) μ-oxo tetranuclear complex, isolated from the dication diradical diiron(III) porphyrin dimers, has been synthesised and spectroscopically characterised along with single crystal X-ray structure determination of two such molecules. These species facilitate long-range charge/radical delocalisation through the bridge across the entire tetranuclear unit manifesting an unusually intense NIR band. Assorted spin states of Fe(III) centres are stabilised within these unique tetranuclear frameworks: terminal six-coordinate iron centres stabilise the admixed intermediate spin states while the central five-coordinate iron centres stabilise the high-spin states. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements indicated strong antiferromagnetic coupling for the Fe(III)-O-Fe(III) unit while the exchange interactions between the Fe centres and the porphyrin π-cation radicals are weaker as supported both by magnetic data and DFT calculations. The nature of orbital overlap between the SOMOs of Fe(III) and π* orbital of the porphyrin was found to rationalise the observed exchange coupling, establishing such a complex magnetic exchange in this tetranuclear model with a significant bioinorganic relevance.

Dioxygen Activation and Reduction by a Soluble Iron Phthalocyanine.

Iron ions in a square-planar coordination can bind molecules at the vacant axial positions and are able to transform them in stoichiometric and catalytic reactions. Nature takes advantage of these properties by incorporating iron into porphyrin systems, which play a key role not only in the binding and transport of oxygen, but also in catalytic oxidation and reduction reactions involving cytochrome P450. Although these systems have been studied extensively, there are still unresolved questions regarding the interplay between the iron ions and the surrounding ligands. Phthalocyanines (Pc) create a similar environment for metal atoms and FePc is known for a long time. However, without axial ligands FePc aggregates leading to solids of low solubility. In this work we used a known six-coordinate iron phthalocyanine derivative with bulky substituents and removed the stabilizing axial ligands. The resulting paramagnetic, four-coordinate compound does not aggregate and dissolves well so that NMR spectroscopy can be employed for studying the molecular structure and the reactivity. Solvent molecules bind weakly to the iron centers and oxygen is reduced in the presence of H-atom donors. The stoichiometric and catalytic reactivity with oxygen was studied in more detail.

Fe(III) T1 MRI Probes Containing Phenolate or Hydroxypyridine-Appended Triamine Chelates and a Coordination Site for Bound Water.

Fe(III) complexes containing a triamine framework and phenolate or hydroxypyridine donors are characterized and studied as T1 MRI probes. In contrast to most Fe(III) MRI probes of linear chelates reported to date, the ligands reported here are pentadentate to give six-coordinate complexes with a coordination site for inner-sphere water. The crystal structure of the complex containing unsubstituted phenolate donors, Fe(L1)Cl, shows a six-coordinate iron center and contains a chloride ligand that is displaced in water. Two additional derivatives are sufficiently water-soluble for study as MRI probes, including a complex with a hydroxypyridine group, Fe(L2), and a hydroxybenzoic acid group, Fe(L3). The pH potentiometric titrations give protonation constants of 7.2 and 7.5 for Fe(L2) and Fe(L3), respectively, which are assigned to deprotonation of the bound water. Changes in the electronic absorbance spectra of the complexes as a function of pH are consistent with the deprotonation of phenol pendants at acidic pH values. However, the inner-sphere water ligand of Fe(L2) and Fe(L3) does not exchange rapidly on the NMR timescale at pH 6.0 or 7.4, as shown by variable-temperature 17O NMR spectroscopy. The pH-dependent proton relaxivity profiles show a maximum in relaxivity at a near-neutral pH, suggesting that exchange of the protons of the bound water is an important contribution. Competitive binding studies with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) show effective stability constants for Fe(L2) and Fe(L3) at pH 7.4 with log K values of 21.1 and 20.5, respectively. These two complexes are kinetically inert in carbonate phosphate buffer at 37 °C for several hours but transfer iron to transferrin. Fe(L2) and Fe(L3) show enhanced contrast in T1-weighted imaging analyses in BALB/c mice. These studies show that Fe(L2) clears through mixed renal and hepatobiliary routes, while Fe(L3) has a similar pharmacokinetic clearance profile to a macrocyclic Gd(III) contrast agent.

Application of Lever’s Electrochemical EL Parameters Scale Toward Fe(II)/Fe(III) Versus Pc(2-)/Pc(1-) Oxidation Process Crossover Point in Axially Coordinated Iron(II) Phthalocyanine Complexes and Its Relation to the MLCT1 Energy Derived from MCD Spectroscopy

The electronic structures, and, particularly, the nature of the HOMO in a series of the low-spin PcFeL2, PcFeL′L″, and [PcFeX2]2- iron(II) phthalocyanine complexes were probed by electrochemical, spectroelectrochemical and chemical oxidation approaches and complimented by MCD spectroscopy as well as theoretical (DFT and TDDFT) studies. In general, energies of the metal-centered occupied orbitals in the various six-coordinate iron phthalocyanine complexes correlate well with Lever’s electrochemical parameter, EL, and intercross the phthalocyanine-centered a1u orbital in several compounds with moderate-to-strong p-accepting axial ligands. In these cases, an oxidation of the phthalocyanine macrocycle (Pc(2-)/Pc(1-)) rather than the central metal ion (Fe(II)/Fe(III)) was theoretically predicted and experimentally confirmed. The experimentally derived using MCD spectroscopy or theoretically predicted using TDDFT calculations energy of the MLCT1 transition (dπ→Pc(π*)) on iron(II) phthalocyanines also follows the trend expected for the EL properties of the axial ligands.

Co-existence of five- and six-coordinate iron(II) species captured in a geometrically strained spin-crossover Hofmann framework.

Inclusion of an angular bridging ligand, 4,2':6',4''-terpyridine (TPy), into a Hofmann-type framework produces an irregular network in which six- and five-coordinate FeII species co-exist. The octahedral sites show thermally-induced spin-crossover (SCO) and the rare five-coordinate FeII sites are high-spin.

Computational Study of the C5-Hydroxylation Mechanism Catalyzed by the Diiron Monooxygenase PtmU3 as Part of the Platensimycin Biosynthesis.

PtmU3 is a newly identified nonheme diiron monooxygenase, which installs a C-5 β-hydroxyl group into the C-19 CoA-ester intermediate involved in the biosynthesis of unique diterpene-derived scaffolds of platensimycin and platencin. PtmU3 possesses a noncanonical diiron active site architecture of a saturated six-coordinate iron center and lacks the μ-oxo bridge. Although the hydroxylation process is a simple reaction for nonheme mononuclear iron-dependent enzymes, how PtmU3 employs the diiron center to catalyze the H-abstraction and OH-rebound is still unknown. In particular, the electronic characteristic of diiron is also unclear. To understand the catalytic mechanism of PtmU3, we constructed two reactant models in which both the Fe1II-Fe2III-superoxo and Fe1II-Fe2IV═O are considered to trigger the H-abstraction and performed a series of quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations. Our calculation results reveal that PtmU3 is a special monooxygenase, that is, both atoms of the dioxygen molecule can be incorporated into two molecules of the substrate by the successive reactions. In the first-round reaction, PtmU3 uses the Fe1II-Fe2III-superoxo to install a hydroxyl group into the substrate, generating the high-reactive Fe1II-Fe2IV═O complex. In the second-round reaction, the Fe1II-Fe2IV═O species is responsible for the hydroxylation of another molecule of the substrate. In the diiron center, Fe2 adopts the high spin state (S = 5/2) during the catalysis, whereas for Fe1, in addition to its structural role, it may also play an assistant role for Fe1 catalysis. In the two successive OH-installing steps, the H-abstraction is always the rate-liming step. E241 and D308 not only act as bridging ligands to connect two Fe ions but also take part in the electron reorganization. Owing to the high reactivity of Fe1II-Fe2IV═O compared to Fe1II-Fe2III-superoxo, besides the C5-hydroxylation, the C3- or C18-hydroxylation was also calculated to be feasible.

Application of Lever's EL Parameter Scale toward Fe(II)/Fe(III) versus Pc(2-)/Pc(1-) Oxidation Process Crossover Point in Axially Coordinated Iron(II) Phthalocyanine Complexes.

The electronic structures and, particularly, the nature of the HOMO in a series of PcFeL2, PcFeL'L″, and [PcFeX2]2- complexes (Pc = phthalocyaninato(2-) ligand; L = NH3, n-BuNH2, imidazole (Im), pyridine (Py), PMe3, PBu3, t-BuNC, P(OBu)3, and DMSO; L' = CO; L″ = NH3 or n-BuNH2; X = NCO-, NCS-, CN-, imidazolate (Im-), or 1,2,4-triazolate(Tz-)) were probed by electrochemical, spectroelectrochemical, and chemical oxidation as well as theoretical (density functional theory, DFT) studies. In general, energies of the metal-centered occupied orbitals in various six-coordinate iron phthalocyanine complexes correlate well with Lever Electrochemical Parameter EL and intercross the phthalocyanine-centered a1u orbital in several compounds with moderate-to-strong π-accepting axial ligands. In these cases, an oxidation of the phthalocyanine macrocycle (Pc(2-)/Pc(1-)) rather than the central metal ion (Fe(II)/Fe(III)) was theoretically predicted and experimentally confirmed.

Heme-Heme Interactions in Diheme Cytochromes: Effect of Mixed-Axial Ligation on the Electronic Structure and Electrochemical Properties.

Diheme cytochromes, the simplest members in the multiheme family, play substantial biochemical roles in enzymatic catalysis as well as in electron transfer. A series of diiron(III) porphyrin dimers have been synthesized as active site analogues of diheme cytochromes. The complexes contain six-coordinated iron(III) having thiophenol and imidazole at the fifth and sixth coordination sites, respectively. The iron centers in the complexes have been found to be in a low-spin state, as confirmed through solid-state Mössbauer and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic investigations. Mössbauer quadrupole splitting of complexes having mixed ligands is substantially larger than that observed when both axial ligands are the same. Rhombic types of EPR spectra with narrow separation between gx, gy, and gz clearly distinguish heme thiolate coordination compared to bis(imidazole)-ligated low-spin heme centers. The redox potential in diheme cytochromes has been found to be tuned by interheme interactions along with the nature of axial ligands. The effect of mixed-axial ligation within the diiron(III) porphyrin dimers is demonstrated by a positive shift in the Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox couple upon thiophenolate coordination compared to their bis(imidazole) analogues. The pKa of the imidazole also decides the extent of the shift for the Fe(III)/Fe(II) couple, while the potential of the mixed-ligated diiron(III) porphyrin dimer is more positive compared to their monomeric analogue. A variation of around 1.1 V for the Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox potential in the diiron(III) porphyrin dimer can be achieved with the combined effect of axial ligation and a metal spin state, while such a large variation in the redox potential, compared to their monomeric analogues, is attributed to the heme-heme interactions observed in dihemes. Moreover, theoretical calculations also support the experimental shifts in the redox potential values.

Temperature effects on structure: Six-coordinate [Fe(TPP)(1-MeIm)(CO)

We have examined the effects of changing the temperature on the structure of a six-coordinate (tetraphenylporphinato)iron(II) complex, [Fe(TPP)(1-MeIm)(CO)] C[Formula: see text]H[Formula: see text]. In particular, we examined whether the coordination group parameters, [Formula: see text]. the Fe–C and C–O parameters showed any effects. The study, carried out between 100 and 330 K, revealed no effect on those coordination group parameters. The axial Fe–N(Im) bond distance showed a small effect. The peripheral phenyl groups show a somewhat larger bond distance effect with bond distance increases of 0.02 to 0.03 Å. The population of the disordered solvent molecule favors one site as the temperature is lowered.

Effect of Ligand Fields on the Reactivity of O2‐Activating Iron(II)‐Benzilate Complexes of Neutral N5 Donor Ligands

Three new iron(II)-benzilate complexes [(N4Py)Fe II (benzilate)]ClO 4 ( 1 ), [(N4Py Me2 )Fe II (benzilate)]ClO 4 ( 2 ) and [(N4Py Me4 )Fe II (benzilate)]ClO 4 ( 3 ) of neutral pentadentate nitrogen donor ligands have been isolated and characterized to study their dioxygen reactivity. Single crystal X-ray structures reveal a mononuclear six-coordinate iron(II) centre in each case, where benzilate binds to the iron center in monodentate mode via one carboxylate oxygen. Introduction of methyl groups in the 6-positions of the pyridine rings makes the N4Py Me2 and N4Py Me4 ligands weaker field compared to the parent N4Py ligand. All the complexes ( 1-3 ) react with dioxygen to decarboxylate the coordinated benzilate to benzophenone quantitatively. The decarboxylation takes lesser time for the complex of more sterically hindered ligand and follows the order 3 > 2 > 1 . The complexes display oxygen atom transfer reactivity to thioanisole and also exhibit hydrogen atom transfer reactions with substrates containing weak C-H bonds. Based on interception studies with external substrates, labelling experiment and Hammett analysis, a nucleophilic iron(II)-hydroperoxo species is proposed to form upon two-electron reductive activation of dioxygen by each iron(II)-benzilate complex. The nucleophilic oxidants are converted to the corresponding electrophilic iron(IV)-oxo oxidant upon treatment with a protic acid. The high-spin iron(II)-benzilate complex with the weakest ligand field results in the formation of a more reactive iron-oxygen oxidant.

Iron Complexes for Cyclic Carbonate and Polycarbonate Formation: Selectivity Control from Ligand Design and Metal-Center Geometry.

A family of 17 iron(III) aminobis(phenolate) complexes possessing different phenolate substituents, coordination geometries, and donor arrangements were used as catalysts for the reaction of carbon dioxide (CO2) with epoxides. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry of the iron complexes with a bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium chloride cocatalyst in negative mode revealed the formation of six-coordinate iron "ate" species. Under low catalyst loadings (0.025 mol % Fe and 0.1 mol % chloride cocatalyst), all complexes showed good-to-excellent activity for converting propylene oxide to propylene carbonate under 20 bar of CO2. The most active complex possessed electron-withdrawing dichlorophenolate groups and for a 2 h reaction time gave a turnover frequency of 1240 h-1. Epichlorohydrin, styrene oxide, phenyl glycidyl ether, and allyl glycidyl ether could also be transformed to their respective cyclic carbonates with good-to-excellent conversions. Selectivity for polycarbonate formation was observed using cyclohexene oxide, where the best activity was displayed by trigonal-bipyramidal iron(III) complexes having electron-rich phenolate groups and sterically unencumbering tertiary amino donors. Those containing bulky tertiary amino ligands or those with square-pyramidal geometries around iron showed no activity for polycarbonate formation. While the overall conversions declined with decreasing CO2 pressure, CO2 incorporation remained high, giving a completely alternating copolymer. The difference in the optimum catalyst reactivity for cyclic carbonate versus polycarbonate formation is particularly noteworthy; that is, electron-withdrawing-group-containing phenolates give the most active catalysts for propylene carbonate formation, whereas catalysts with electron-donating-group-containing phenolates are the most active for polycyclohexene carbonate formation. This study demonstrates that the highly modifiable aminophenolate ligands can be tailored to yield iron complexes for both CO2/epoxide coupling and ring-opening copolymerization activity.

Characterization and Crystal Structure of a Nonheme Diiron Monooxygenase Involved in Platensimycin and Platencin Biosynthesis

Nonheme diiron monooxygenases make up a rapidly growing family of oxygenases that are rarely identified in secondary metabolism. Herein, we report the in vivo, in vitro, and structural characterizations of a nonheme diiron monooxygenase, PtmU3, that installs a C-5 β-hydroxyl group in the unified biosynthesis of platensimycin and platencin, two highly functionalized diterpenoids that act as potent and selective inhibitors of bacterial and mammalian fatty acid synthases. This hydroxylation sets the stage for the subsequent A-ring cleavage step key to the unique diterpene-derived scaffolds of platensimycin and platencin. PtmU3 adopts an unprecedented triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) barrel structural fold for this class of enzymes and possesses a noncanonical diiron active site architecture with a saturated six-coordinate iron center lacking a μ-oxo bridge. This study reveals the first member of a previously unidentified superfamily of TIM-barrel-fold enzymes for metal-dependent dioxygen activation, with the majority predicted to act on CoA-linked substrates, thus expanding our knowledge of nature's repertoire of nonheme diiron monooxygenases and TIM-barrel-fold enzymes.

A five-coordinate iron(III) porphyrin complex including a neutral axial pyridine N-oxide ligand.

While six-coordinate iron(III) porphyrin complexes with pyridine N-oxides as axial ligands have been studied as they exhibit rare spin-crossover behavior, studies of five-coordinate iron(III) porphyrin complexes including neutral axial ligands are rare. A five-coordinate pyridine N-oxide-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinate-iron(III) complex, namely (pyridine N-oxide-κO)(5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphinato-κ4N,N',N'',N''')iron(III) hexafluoroantimonate(V) dichloromethane disolvate, [Fe(C44H28N4)(C5H5NO)][SbF6]·2CH2Cl2, was isolated and its crystal structure determined in the space group P-1. The porphyrin core is moderately saddled and the Fe-O-N bond angle is 122.08 (13)°. The average Fe-N bond length is 2.03 Å and the Fe-ONC5H5 bond length is 1.9500 (14) Å. This complex provides a rare example of a five-coordinate iron(III) porphyrin complex that is coordinated to a neutral organic ligand through an O-monodentate binding mode.

Oxidizing Ability of a Dioxygen-Activating Nonheme Iron(II)-Benzilate Complex Immobilized on Gold Nanoparticles.

An iron(II)-benzilate complex [(TPASH)FeII(benzilate)]ClO4@C8Au (2) (TPASH = 11-((6-((bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)methyl)pyridin-2-yl)methoxy)undecane-1-thiol) immobilized on octanethiol stabilized gold nanoparticles (C8Au) of core diameter less than 5 nm has been prepared to evaluate its reactivity toward O2-dependent oxidations compared to a nonimmobilized complex [(TPA-O-Allyl)FeII(benzilate)]ClO4 (1a) (TPA-O-Allyl = N-((6-(allyloxymethyl)pyridin-2-yl)methyl)(pyridin-2-yl)- N-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)methanamine). X-ray crystal structure of the nonimmobilized complex 1a reveals a six-coordinate iron(II) center in which the TPA-O-Allyl acts as a pentadentate ligand and the benzilate anion binds in monodentate fashion. Both the complexes (1a and 2) react with dioxygen under ambient conditions to form benzophenone as the sole product through decarboxylation of the coordinated benzilate. Interception studies reveal that a nucleophilic iron-oxygen intermediate is formed in the decarboxylation reaction. The oxidants from both the complexes are able to carry out oxo atom transfer reactions. The immobilized complex 2 not only performs faster decarboxylation but also exhibits enhanced reactivity in oxo atom transfer to sulfides. Importantly, the immobilized complex 2, unlike 1a, displays catalytic turnovers in sulfide oxidation. However, the complexes are not efficient to carry out cis-dihydroxylation of alkenes. Although the immobilized complex yields a slightly higher amount of cis-diol from 1-octene, restricted access of dioxygen and substrates at the coordinatively saturated metal centers of the complexes likely makes the resulting iron-oxygen species less active in oxygen atom transfer to alkenes. The results implicate that surface immobilized nonheme iron complexes containing accessible coordination sites would exhibit better reactivity in O2-dependent oxygenation reactions.

Stabilizing intermediate-spin state in iron(III) porphyrins

Hemoproteins serve many diverse biological functions through the nearly identical heme prosthetic group. The elucidation of the electronic structures of synthetic hemes is quite important in understanding the function and catalytic processes of naturally occurring heme proteins. For example, an important step in cytochrome P450 catalysis has been the spin-state crossover upon substrate binding which thereby facilitates the reduction of the iron centre. Iron(III) porphyrins having intermediate-spin state have attained much of attention since Maltempo’s discovery of its crucial contributions in several bacterial heme proteins such as Cytochromes c′. We have analyzed here various factors responsible for stabilizing such intermediate-spin states of iron using the same iron(III)porphyrinato platform. We report the synthesis, X-ray structure and spectroscopic characterizations of saddle distorted six-coordinated iron(III) porphyrins having weak axial coordination such as THF and dioxane. Through combined solid as well as solution phase studies, it has been found that the complexes demonstrate iron(III) in pure intermediate-spin state. A brief comprehensive personal account for stabilizing intermediate-spin state of iron using the same iron(III) porphyrins has also been presented. Our work highlights the possible spin state switching of iron through external perturbations such as H-bonding interactions, weak axial coordination etc which are indeed important steps in the functioning of various heme proteins.

Spin-State Variations of Iron(III) Complexes with Tetracarbene Macrocycles.

Starting from their six-coordinate iron(II) precursor complexes [L8R Fe(MeCN)]2+ , a series of iron(III) complexes of the known macrocyclic tetracarbene ligand L8H and its new octamethylated derivative L8Me , both providing four imidazol-2-yliden donors, were synthesized. Several five- and six-coordinate iron(III) complexes with different axial ligands (Cl- , OTf- , MeCN) were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction and analyzed in detail with respect to their spin state variations, using a bouquet of spectroscopic methods (NMR, UV/Vis, EPR, and 57 Fe Mößbauer). Depending on the axial ligands, either low-spin (S=1/2) or intermediate-spin (S=3/2) states were observed, whereas high-spin (S=5/2) states were inaccessible because of the extremely strong in-plane σ-donor character of the macrocyclic tetracarbene ligands. These findings are reminiscent of the spin state patterns of topologically related ferric porphyrin complexes. The ring conformations and dynamics of the macrocyclic tetracarbene ligands in their iron(II), iron(III) and μ-oxo diiron(III) complexes were also studied.

New Insights into the Ligand Nature of Carbene: Synthesis and Characterizations of Six-Coordinate Iron(II) Carbene Porphyrin Complexes.

Several six-coordinate iron(II) carbene tetra(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin (TFPP) complexes, [Fe(TFPP)(CPh2)(1-EtIm)] (1-EtIm = 1-ethylimidazole) and [Fe(TFPP)(CPh2)(1,2-Me2Im)] (1,2-Me2Im = 1,2-dimethylimidazole), are isolated and studied by UV-vis, single-crystal X-ray, and Mössbauer spectroscopies. The single-crystal structural studies revealed noteworthy features including strong and "hard" axial carbene bonds (Fe-C) but "flexible" trans ligand bonds (Fe-NIm). The Mössbauer spectra of [Fe(TFPP)(CPh2)(1-EtIm)] and [Fe(TFPP)(CPh2)(1,2-Me2Im)] are obtained on solid-state samples between 25 and 295 K, which give very large Δ EQ values (1.8-1.9 mm/s), suggesting a weak effect of the trans imidazole ligands. Comparisons with diatomic carbon-donor ligands (CO, CS, and CN-) demonstrate considerably stronger π bonding of the :CPh2 carbene.

Exploring C(sp3)–C(sp3) reductive elimination from an isolable iron metallacycle

A six-coordinate iron metallacyclopentane, (phen)2Fe(CH2)4, supported by two 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) ligands, has been synthesized and structurally and spectroscopically characterized. The complex is diamagnetic and an idealized octahedral geometry was observed in the solid state. The electronic structure of (phen)2Fe(CH2)4 was determined by a combination of X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and DFT analyses and is best described as a low-spin Fe(III) center antiferromagnetically coupled to a radical anion delocalized equally over both phen ligands. The reactivity of (phen)2Fe(CH2)4 under different conditions was explored. Thermolysis or photolysis promoted elimination reactions and mixtures of isomeric butenes and butane were observed. Reactions of (phen)2Fe(CH2)4 with ethylene and isoprene yielded 3% and 11% of reductive elimination product cyclobutane, respectively, along with butane and butene isomers. Addition of π-accepting ligands such as carbon monoxide, maleic anhydride, or 1,4-benzoquinone to (phen)2Fe(CH2)4 promoted C(sp3)-C(sp3) reductive elimination as judged by high selectivity for cyclobutane formation. Two electron oxidation of (phen)2Fe(CH2)4 with two equivalents of ferrocenium tetraphenylborate also exclusively yielded cyclobutane in 95% yield. The electronic structure and reactivity of related bis(bipyridine) iron dialkyl compounds previously isolated by Kochi and co-workers were also revisited and their electronic structures revised based on structural, spectroscopic and computational data.

Fe(TpivPP)(NO2)2]−: What is the nitrite orientation?

We have prepared a new crystalline derivative of [Fe(TpivPP)(NO2)2][Formula: see text] with the [K(222)][Formula: see text] cation. The newly determined structure of the anion resolves an ambiguity about the relative orientation of the two axial nitrite ligands which were found in a previous structure determination with a different cation. The two NO[Formula: see text] ligands are found to have a relative perpendicular orientation with Fe[Formula: see text]–N(NO2) distances of 1.974 (6) Åand 1.994 (6) Å. The average Fe[Formula: see text]–N[Formula: see text] distance in the low-spin six-coordinate iron(III) porphyrinate derivative is 1.987 (3) Å.