The reactivity of cyclohexadienyl(cyclopentadienyl)iron derivatives

Photoactive Fe Catalyst for Light-Triggered Alkyd Paint Curing

Herein, we show that the photoactive complexes [(Cp)Fe(arene)]⁺ (Cp = cyclopentadienyl; arene = C₆H₆, C₆H₅Me) act as latent catalysts that allow for photochemical control over the onset of alkyd paint curing, without the need for antiskinning agents such as the volatile 2-butanone oxime normally used to prevent curing during paint storage. The highly soluble neutral complexes [(Cp)Fe(Ch)] and [(Cp)Fe(Ch')] (Ch = cyclohexadienyl, Ch' = methylcyclohexadienyl) readily convert to the photoactive complexes [(Cp)Fe(arene)]⁺ upon oxidation in alkyd, allowing the latter to be dosed in a wide range of concentrations. Infrared and Raman studies show similar spectral changes of the alkyd paint matrix as have been observed in alkyd curing mediated by well-known, industrially applied cobalt- and manganese-based catalyst Co(neodecanoate)₂ and [(Me₃TACN)₂Mn₂(μ-OOCR)₃](OOCR). The [(Cp)Fe(Ch)]/[(Cp)Fe(arene)]⁺ system performs equally well as these cobalt- and manganese-based catalysts in terms of drying time and outperform the manganese catalyst by showing a hardness development (increase) similar to that of the cobalt-based catalyst. Based on electron paramagnetic resonance and light-activity studies, we propose that photolysis of [(Cp)Fe(arene)]⁺ generates short-lived active Fe^II species, explaining the desired latency. The [(Cp)Fe(Ch)]/[(Cp)Fe(arene)]⁺ alkyd curing systems presented herein are unique examples of intrinsically latent paint curing catalysts that (1) are based on an abundant and harmless transition metal (Fe), (2) do not require any antiskinning agents, and (3) show favorable performance in terms of drying times and hardness development.

Nucleophilic addition to di- and poly-iron arene complex cations

Hydride and cyanide addition to a series of di- and polycyclopentadienyliron arene complex cations with etheric bridges is described. Reaction of the di-iron complexes with sodium borohydride resulted in the formation of a number of adducts.p-Methyl- and o,o-dimethylphenoxybenzene cyclopentadienyliron complexes were used as models in this study to allow for the characterization of the analagous di-iron complexes. The use of HH COSY and CH COSY NMR techniques enabled us to identify the isomeric nature of these adducts. The hydride addition results indicated that the etheric substituent had the predominant effect over the methyl group, leading to a higher addition ratio to the meta-, followed by the ortho-, then the para-positions. It was also clear that in the di-iron system, the hydride addition to each complexed arene ring took place independently. The addition of the cyanide anion to di- and poly-iron arene systems was more selective than that of the hydride anion. Reaction of sodium cyanide with p-methyl- or o-methyl-substituted arene complexes led to the formation of one adduct, with the cyanide being added to the meta position to the etheric bridges. However, cyanide addition to the di-iron complex, with a methyl substituent attached at the meta position of each complexed arene, led to the formation of a mixture of adducts. Cyanide addition to the poly-iron system with p-substituted arenes proved to be very selective, allowing for the formation of one adduct. Oxidative demetallation with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) produced the uncomplexed polyaromatic ethers with cyano groups in a very good yield. Key words: cyclopentadienyliron, arene, nucleophilic addition, hydride, cyanide.