Synthesis and structural characterization of diiron azadithiolate complexes relevant to the active site of [FeFe] hydrogenases

Two N-functionally substituted diiron azadithiolate complexes, [(µ-SCH₂)₂NCH₂CH₂OC(O)C₆H₄I-p]Fe₂(CO)₆ (1) and {[(µ-SCH₂)₂NCH₂CH₂OC(O)C₆H₄I-p]Fe₂(CO)₅Ph₂PCH}₂ (2) as models for the active site of [FeFe] hydrogenases, have been prepared and fully characterized. Complex 1 was prepared by the reaction of [(µ-SCH₂)₂NCH₂CH₂OH]Fe₂(CO)₆ with p-iodobenzoic acid in the presence of 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) and N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) in 78% yield. Further treatment of 1 with 1 equiv. of Me₃NO?·?2H₂O followed by 0.5 equiv. of trans-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethylene (dppe) affords 2 in 60% yield. The new complexes 1 and 2 were characterized by IR and ¹H (¹³C, ³¹P) NMR spectroscopic techniques and their molecular structures were confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The molecular structure of 1 has two conformational isomers, in one isomer its N-functional substituent is axial to its bridged nitrogen and in the other isomer its N-functional substituent is equatorial. The crystal structure of 2 revealed that its N-functional substituents are equatorial to its nitrogens and dppe occupies the two apical positions of the square-pyramidal irons.     

Assembly and incorporation of a CO2Me group into a bridging vinyliminium ligand in a diiron complex

The diiron complex [Fe₂{μ-к¹(O):η¹(C):η³(C)-C(N(Me)(Xyl))C(H)C(Me)C(O)OMe}(μ-CO)(Cp)₂] (2) has been obtained from the diiron bridging vinyliminium [Fe₂{μ-η¹:η³-C(Me)C(H)CN(Me)(Xyl)}(μ-CO)(CO)(Cp)₂][SO₃CF₃] (1; Xyl = 2,5-C₆H₃Me₂) upon treatment with NaH in the presence of CH₂CCMe₂, followed by chromatography on alumina with MeOH as eluent. The reaction consists in the incorporation of a methylcarboxylate unit, assembled from CO and MeO⁻, into the bridging vinyliminium ligand. The resulting complex 2 exhibits a C₄ fragment bridging the two iron centres through the carbonyl oxygen atom and the allylidene moiety.The X-ray molecular structure of 2 has been determined.     

Synthesis and characterization of diiron ethanedithiolate complexes with monosubstituted phosphine ligands

Reactions of (μ-edt)Fe₂(CO)₆ (edt = SCH₂CH₂S) (1) with the monophosphine ligands Ph₂PCH₂Ph, Ph₂PC₆H₁₁, Ph₂PCH₂CH₂CH₃, or P(2-C₄H₃O)₃ in the presence of Me₃NO?2H₂O afforded (μ-edt)Fe₂(CO)₅L [L = Ph₂PCH₂Ph, 2; Ph₂PC₆H₁₁, 3; Ph₂PCH₂CH₂CH₃, 4; P(2-C₄H₃O)₃, 5] in 70–88% yields. Complexes 2–5 were characterized by spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The phosphorus of 2–5 is in an apical position of the distorted octahedral geometry of iron.     

Synthetic and structural studies of the diiron toluenedithiolate carbonyl complexes with monophosphine ligands

Four diiron toluenedithiolate complexes 2–5 with monophosphine ligands are reported. Treatment of [μ-SC₆H₃(CH₃)S-μ]Fe₂(CO)₆ (1) with tris(3-chlorophenyl)phosphine, tris(4-chlorophenyl)phosphine, tris(4-methylphenyl)phosphine or 2-(diphenylphosphino)benzaldehyde, and Me₃NO?2H₂O in MeCN resulted in the formation of [μ-SC₆H₃(CH₃)S-μ]Fe₂(CO)₅[P(3-C₆H₄Cl)₃] (2), [μ-SC₆H₃(CH₃)S-μ]Fe₂(CO)₅[P(4-C₆H₄Cl)₃] (3), [μ-SC₆H₃(CH₃)S-μ]Fe₂(CO)₅[P(4-C₆H₄CH₃)₃] (4), and [μ-SC₆H₃(CH₃)S-μ]Fe₂(CO)₅[Ph₂P(2-C₆H₄CHO)] (5) in 64–82% yields. Complexes 2–5 have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H NMR, ³¹P{¹H} NMR, ¹³C{¹H} NMR and further confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The molecular structures show that 2–5 contain a butterfly diiron toluenedithiolate cluster coordinated by five terminal carbonyls and an apical monophosphine.     

Benzoate-functionalized diiron propanedithiolate complexes with mono- and di-phosphine ligands as catalysts for reduction of protons

Reaction of the diiron propanedithiolate complex [μ-(SCH₂)₂CHO₂CC₆H₅]Fe₂(CO)₆ (A) with triphenylphosphine (PPh₃) or cis-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphine)ethylene (cis-dppv) in the presence of one equivalent of Me₃NO·2H₂O yielded a mono-substituted complex [μ-(SCH₂)₂CHO₂CC₆H₅]Fe₂(CO)₅(PPh₃) (1) or an asymmetrically substituted complex [(μ-SCH₂)₂CHO₂CC₆H₅]Fe₂(CO)₄(κ²-dppv) (2), respectively. The structures of both complexes were characterized by spectroscopic methods and X-ray crystallography. In the solid state, the PPh₃ ligand in 1 occupies an apical position of the square pyramidal geometries of the Fe2, while the cis-dppv in 2 coordinates Fe2 in an apical-basal manner. The electrochemistry of both complexes was investigated. The electron-withdrawing benzoate functionality on the bridgehead carbon of the propanedithiolate bridge shifts the oxidation and reduction potentials of 1 or 2 slightly. Both complexes can catalyze the reduction of protons from CF₃COOH but with a higher efficiency for 2.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of a diiron propanedithiolate complex [( μ -PDT)Fe2(CO)5]2[(η 5-Ph2PC5H4)2Fe] containing a bidentate phosphine ligand 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene

The reaction of (μ-PDT)Fe₂(CO)₆ (PDT?=?SCH₂CH₂CH₂S) with 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene in the presence of the decarbonylating agent Me₃NO·2H₂O afforded [(μ-PDT)Fe₂(CO)₅]₂[(η ⁵-Ph₂PC₅H₄)₂Fe] (1) in 80% yield. The new complex 1 was characterized by elemental analysis, IR, and ¹H-(³¹P-, ¹³C-) NMR spectroscopies. The structure of 1 was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis; the molecule is centrosymmetric and two cyclopentadienyl (Cp) rings reside in a staggered conformation.     

Synthesis,characterization, and crystal structures of N-functionalized diiron azadithiolate complexes related to the active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenases

A series of N-functionalized diiron azadithiolate complexes, [(µ-SCH₂)₂NCH₂CO₂Me]Fe₂(CO)_5?L [L?=?CO (1); PPh₃ (2); Ph₂PCH₂PPh₂ (3)], as active site models of [FeFe]-hydrogenases has been prepared and characterized. While 1 was prepared by a sequential reaction of (µ-HS)₂Fe₂(CO)₆ with two equiv. of aqueous HCHO, followed by treatment of (µ-HOCH₂S)₂Fe₂(CO)₆ with one equiv. of H₂NCH₂CO₂Me in 46% yield; 2 and 3 were prepared by a carbonyl substitution reaction of 1 with PPh₃ or Ph₂PCH₂PPh₂ in the presence of Me₃NO?·?2H₂O in 90% and 85% yields, respectively. The crystal structures of 1 and 2 revealed that the substituent attached to the bridgehead nitrogen occupies an equatorial position and the PPh₃ ligand resides in an axial position of the square pyramid of Fe2.     

Synthesis and characterization of carboxy-functionalized diiron model complexes of [FeFe]-hydrogenases: Decarboxylation of Ph2PCH2COOH promoted by a diiron azadithiolate complex

Two carboxy-functionalized diiron complexes [{(μ-SCH₂)₂X}{Fe(CO)₃}{Fe(CO)₂L}] (X = NC₃H₇, L = Ph₂PCH₂CH₂COOH, 4; X = CH₂, L = Ph₂PCH₂COOH, 5) were prepared, as biomimetic models of the [FeFe] hydrogenase active site, from the CO-replacement of [{(μ-SCH₂)₂NC₃H₇}Fe₂(CO)₆] (1) and (μ-pdt)Fe₂(CO)₆ (2) by phosphine ligands in CH₃CN at 40 °C, respectively. In contrast, the reaction of 1 with Ph₂PCH₂COOH under the same condition afforded complex [{(μ-SCH₂)₂NC₃H₇}{Fe(CO)₃}{Fe(CO)₂(Ph₂PCH₃)}] (3) with a decarboxylated phosphine ligand. The molecular structures of complexes 3-5 were determined by X-ray crystallographic analyses, which show that they have similar frameworks with the phosphine ligand on the apical position. The interesting C-H···S contacts between the methylene hydrogen atoms of the PhCH₂COOH ligand and the μ-S atoms of the pdt-bridge are found in the crystal of 5. According to the experimental evidence, a plausible mechanism, via sequential phosphine coordination, N-protonation, and decarboxylation steps, is proposed for the formation of 3 and for explanation of the contrastive reactivities of the adt- (2-aza-1,3-propanedithiolato) and the pdt- (1,3-propanedithiolato) bridged diiron complexes toward decarboxylation of the Ph₂PCH₂COOH ligand.     

C-C bond formation through olefin-thiocarbyne coupling in diiron complexes

The bridging diiron thiocarbyne complex [Fe₂{μ-CS(Me)}(μ-CO)(CO)₂(Cp)₂][SO₃CF₃] (1) reacts with activated olefins (methyl acrylate, acrylonitrile, styrene, diethyl maleate), in the presence of Me₃NO and NaH, to give the corresponding μ-allylidene complexes [Fe₂{μ-η¹:η³-C_α(SMe)C_β(R′)C_γ(H)(R″)} (μ-CO)(CO)(Cp)₂] (R″ = CO₂Me, R′ = H, 3a; R″ = CN, R′ = H, 3b; R″ = C₆H₅, R′ = H, 3c; R″ = R′ = CO₂Et, 3d). The coupling reaction of olefin with thiocarbyne is regio- and stereospecific, leading to the formation of only one isomer. C-C bond formation occurs between the less substituted alkene carbon and the thiocarbyne. Moreover, olefinic hydrogens of the bridging ligands are mutually trans.The reactions of 3a-b with MeSO₃CF₃ result, selectively, in the formation of the cationic μ-sulphonium allylidene complexes [Fe₂{μ-η¹:η³-C_α(SMe₂)C_β (H)C_γ(H)(R)}(μ-CO)(CO)(Cp)₂][SO₃CF₃] (R = CO₂Me, 4a; R = CN, 4b). Compound 4a undergoes displacement of the SMe₂ group by nucleophiles such as NaBH₄, NBu₄CN and NaOMe, affording the complexes [Fe₂{μ-η¹:η³-C_α(R)C_β (H)C_γ(H)(CO₂Me)}(μ-CO)(CO)(Cp)₂] (R = H, 5a; R = CN, 5b; R = OMe, 5c), respectively. The molecular structures of 3a and 5a have been determined by X-ray diffraction studies.     

Structural studies of diiron complexes with monophosphine ligands tris(4-chlorophenyl)phosphine or diphenyl-2-pyridylphosphine

Four diiron dithiolate complexes with monophosphine ligands have been prepared and structurally characterized. Reactions of (μ-SCH₂CH₂S-μ)Fe₂(CO)₆ or [μ-SCH(CH₃)CH(CH₃)S-μ]Fe₂(CO)₆ with tris(4-chlorophenyl)phosphine or diphenyl-2-pyridylphosphine in the presence of Me₃NO·2H₂O afforded diiron pentacarbonyl complexes with monophosphine ligands (μ-SCH₂CH₂S-μ)Fe₂(CO)₅[P(4-C₆H₄Cl)₃] (1), (μ-SCH₂CH₂S-μ)Fe₂(CO)₅[Ph₂P(2-C₅H₄N)] (2), [μ-SCH(CH₃)CH(CH₃)S-μ]Fe₂(CO)₅[P(4-C₆H₄Cl)₃] (3), and [μ-SCH(CH₃)CH(CH₃)S-μ]Fe₂(CO)₅[Ph₂P(2-C₅H₄N)] (4) in good yields. Complexes 1–4 were characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H NMR, ³¹P{¹H} NMR and ¹³C{¹H} NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the molecular structures of 1–4 were confirmed by X-ray crystallography.