Four-coordinate Mo(II) as (silox)2Mo(PMe3)2 and its W(IV) congener (silox)2HW(eta2-CH2PMe2)(PMe3) (silox = tBu3SiO)

The reduction of [( (t) Bu 3SiO) 2MoCl] 2 ( 2 2) provided the cyclometalated derivative, (silox) 2HMoMo(kappa-O,C-OSi (t) Bu 2CMe 2CH 2)(silox) ( 3), and alkylation of 2 2 with MeMgBr afforded [( (t) Bu 3SiO) 2MoCH 3] 2 ( 4 2). The hydrogenation of 4 2 was ineffective, but the reduction of 2 2 under H 2 generated [( (t) Bu 3SiO) 2MoH] 2 ( 5 2), and the addition of 2-butyne to 3 gave [(silox) 2Mo] 2(mu:eta (2)eta (2)-C 2Me 2) ( 6), thereby implicating the existence of [(silox) 2Mo] 2 ( 1 2). The addition of (silox)H to Mo(NMe 2) 4 led to (silox) 2Mo(NMe 2) 2 ( 7), but further elaboration of the core proved ineffective. The silanolysis of MoCl 5 afforded (silox) 2MoCl 4 ( 8) and (silox) 3MoCl 3 ( 9) as a mixture from which pure 8 could be isolated, and the addition of THF or PMe 3 resulted in derivatives of 9 as (silox) 2Cl 3MoL (L = THF, 10; PMe 3, 11). Reductions of 11 and (silox) 2WCl 4 ( 15) in the presence of excess PMe 3 provided (silox) 2Cl 2MPMe 3 (M = Mo, 12; W, 16) or (silox) 2HW(eta (2)-CH 2PMe 2)PMe 3 ( 14). While "(silox) 2W(PMe 3) 2" was unstable with respect to W(IV) as 14, a reduction of 12 led to the stable Mo(II) diphosphine, (silox) 2Mo(PMe 3) 2 ( 17). X-ray crystal structures of 10 (pseudo- O h ), 12 (square pyramidal), and 14 and 17 (distorted T d ) are reported. Calculations address the diamagnetism of 12 and 16, and the distortion of 17 and its stability to cyclometalation in contrast to 14.     

Electronic structure of bis(imino)pyridine iron dichloride, monochloride, and neutral ligand complexes: a combined structural, spectroscopic, and computational study

The electronic structure of a family of bis(imino)pyridine iron dihalide, monohalide, and neutral ligand compounds has been investigated by spectroscopic and computational methods. The metrical parameters combined with M?ssbauer spectroscopic and magnetic data for ((i)PrPDI)FeCl(2) ((i)PrPDI = 2,6-(2,6-(i)Pr(2)C(6)H(3)N=CMe)(2)C(5)H(3)N) established a high-spin ferrous center ligated by a neutral bis(imino)pyridine ligand. Comparing these data to those for the single electron reduction product, ((i)PrPDI)FeCl, again demonstrated a high-spin ferrous ion, but in this case the S(Fe) = 2 metal center is antiferromagnetically coupled to a ligand-centered radical (S(L) = (1)/(2)), accounting for the experimentally observed S = (3)/(2) ground state. Continued reduction to ((i)PrPDI)FeL(n) (L = N(2), n = 1,2; CO, n = 2; 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)pyridine, n = 1) resulted in a doubly reduced bis(imino)pyridine diradical, preserving the ferrous ion. Both the computational and the experimental data for the N,N-(dimethylamino)pyridine compound demonstrate nearly isoenergetic singlet (S(L) = 0) and triplet (S(L) = 1) forms of the bis(imino)pyridine dianion. In both spin states, the iron is intermediate spin (S(Fe) = 1) ferrous. Experimentally, the compound has a spin singlet ground state (S = 0) due to antiferromagnetic coupling of iron and the ligand triplet state. Mixing of the singlet diradical excited state with the triplet ground state of the ligand via spin-orbit coupling results in temperature-independent paramagnetism and accounts for the large dispersion in (1)H NMR chemical shifts observed for the in-plane protons on the chelate. Overall, these studies establish that reduction of ((i)PrPDI)FeCl(2) with alkali metal or borohydride reagents results in sequential electron transfers to the conjugated pi-system of the ligand rather than to the metal center.