The photoelectron spectra of some iron tricarbonyl complexes of 4π-electron donor ligands

The photoelectron spectra of eighteen compounds which are dienes or diene—iron tricarbonyl complexes have been investigated. A comparison of the photoelectron spectra of the dienes and corresponding iron carbonyl complexes has yielded the values of the perturbation energies for the two π orbitals of the diene moiety caused by interaction with Fe(CO)₃. These perturbation energies are relatively constant (Δπ₁ = 0.89 ± 0.07 eV, Δπ₂ = 0.22 ± 0.06 eV) throughout the series. They have been employed to estimate the π ionization energies of the organic transient species cyclobutadiene (8.29 and 11.95 eV) and trimethylenemethane (8.36 and 11.79 eV), two novel molecules which have not been studied successfully by photoelectron spectroscopy to date.