Structure of Tricarbonyl(diene)iron Complexes in Solution. Variable-Temperature Circular Dichroism of trans-μ-(2,3,5,6-Tetramethylidenebicyclo[2.2.2]octane)bis(tricarbonyliron) Complexes

Optically pure (?)-trans-μ-(1R,2R,3S,4S,5S,6R)-C,2,3,C-η:C,5,6,C-η-(2,3,5,6,7-pentamethylidenebicyclo2.2.2]octane)]bis(tricarbonyliron) ((?)- 9 ), (?)-trans-μ-(1R,2R,3S,4S,5S,6R,7S)-C,2,3,C-η:C,5,6,C-η-(7-methyl-2,3,5,6-tetramethylidenebicyclo2.2.2]octane)]bis(tricarbonyliron) ((?)- 10 ), and (?)-trans-μ-(1R,2R,3S,4S,5S,6R,7R)-C,2,3,C-η:C,5,6,C-η-(2,3,5,6-tetramethylidene(7D)bicyclo2.2.2]octane)]bis(tricarbonyliron) ((?)- 16 ) have been prepared. Their CD spectra were solvent- and concentration-independent, but temperature-dependent, in accord with the existence of equilibria between rapidly interconverting diastereoisomeric species which can be interpreted as arising from distortions of the tricarbonyl(diene)iron units from the C_s symmetry.