Iron(II) cage complexes of N-heterocyclic amide and bis(trimethylsilyl)amide ligands: synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties

Metallation of hexahydropyrimidopyrimidine (hppH) by [Fe{N(SiMe(3))(2)}(2)] (1) produces the trimetallic iron(II) amide cage complex [{(Me(3)Si)(2)NFe}(2)(hpp)(4)Fe] (2), which contains three iron(II) centers, each of which resides in a distorted tetrahedral environment. An alternative, one-pot route that avoids use of the highly air-sensitive complex 1 is described for the synthesis of the iron(II)-lithium complex [{(Me(3)Si)(2)N}(2)Fe{Li(bta)}](2) (3) (where btaH = benzotriazole), in which both iron(II) centers reside in 3-coordinated pyramidal environments. The structure of 3 is also interpreted in terms of the ring laddering principle developed for alkali metal amides. Magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal that both compounds display very weak antiferromagnetic exchange between the iron(II) centers, and that the iron(II) centers in 2 and 3 possess large negative axial zero-field splittings.