Synthesis and electrochemistry of Group 6 tetracarbonyl (N,N′-bis(ferrocenylmethylene)ethylenediamine)metal(0) complexes

Thermal substitution reaction of Cr(CO)₄(η^2:2-1,5-cyclooctadiene), Mo(CO)₄(η^2:2-norbornadiene), and W(CO)₅(η²-bis(trimethylsilyl)ethyne) with N,N′-bis(ferrocenylmethylene)ethylenediamine (bfeda) yields M(CO)₄(bfeda) complexes which could be isolated from the reaction solution and characterized by elemental analysis, MS, IR, and NMR spectroscopy. In the case of tungsten, W(CO)₅(bfeda) is formed as intermediate and then undergoes the ring closure reaction yielding the ultimate product W(CO)₄(bfeda). The electrochemical behavior of the M(CO)₄(bfeda) complexes was studied by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) in dichloromethane with tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate as electrolyte. Constant potential electrolysis of the complexes was performed successively at their peak potentials at 0 °C in their CH₂Cl₂ solution and the electrolysis was followed by in situ recording the electronic absorption spectra in every 5 mC. In the electrolysis of Cr(CO)₄(bfeda), the central Cr(0) is oxidized first and electrolysis continues with oxidations of two ferrocenyl groups until the end of totally three moles of electron passage per mole of complex. In the electrolysis of Mo(CO)₄(bfeda) and W(CO)₄(bfeda) the first oxidation occurs on the central atom forming a short-lived species which undergoes an intramolecular one-electron transfer and is reduced back to M(0) while one of the ferrocene units is oxidized to the ferrocenium cation at the same time. This indicates that the electron is transferred from iron to the central metal atom.