Synthesis and x-ray crystallographic characterization of (μ3-Bi)2Fe3(CO)9: A reformulation of Hieber's Bi2Fe5(CO)20

When HFe(CO)₄]^? is treated first with NaBiO₃ and then dilute H₂SO₄, a complex mixture of neutral metal carbonyl clusters results, some of which can be extracted into petroleum ether. Upon prolonged standing the extract yields a precipitate which has been characterized by X-ray crystallography as Bi₂Fe₃(CO)₉.The complex Bi₂Fe₃(CO)₉ crystallizes in the centrosymmetric orthorhombic space group Cmcm (D_2h¹⁷; No. 63) with a 10.616(2) Å, b 13.458(3) Å, c 11.347(3) Å, V 1621.1(7) ų and Z = 4. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction data (Mo-K_α, 2θ = 4.5–55.0°) were collected on a Syntex P2₁ four-circle diffractometer and the structure was refined to R_F 5.4% and R_WF 4.5% for all 1039 independent data (R_F 4.5% and R_WF 4.5% for those 851 reflections with |F₀| > 3.0σ(|F₀|)). The molecule lies on a site of crystallographic C_2v symmetry and is disordered. The individual molecules have a trigonal bipyramidal Bi₂Fe₃ core with the bismuth atoms occupying the apical sites (BiFe 2.617(2)–2.643(2) Å, FeFe 2.735(5)–2.757(5) Å). Each iron atom is linked to three terminal carbonyl ligands and the molecule has approximate C_3h symmetry. The nine peripheral oxygen atoms are ordered and define a tricapped trigonal prism. The equatorial iron atoms are disordered with the two Fe₃ triangles mutually displaced by approximately 30°; the disordered ensemble has approximate D_3h symmetry.