Low-Coordinate Iron Chalcogenolates and Their Complexes with Diethyl Ether and Ammonia

Synthesis and Reactivity of Fe(II) Complexes Containing Cis Ammonia Ligands

The development of earth-abundant transition-metal complexes for electrocatalytic ammonia oxidation is needed to facilitate a renewable energy economy. Important to this goal is a fundamental understanding of how ammonia binds to complexes as a function of ligand geometry and electronic effects. We report the synthesis and characterization of a series of Fe(II)-NH3 complexes supported by tetradentate, facially binding ligands with a combination of pyridine and N-heterocyclic carbene donors. Electronic modification of the supporting ligand led to significant shifts in the FeIII/II potential and variations in NH bond acidities. Finally, investigations of ammonia oxidation by cyclic voltammetry, controlled potential bulk electrolysis, and through addition of stoichiometric organic radicals, TEMPO and tBu3ArO• are reported. No catalytic oxidation of NH3 to N2 was observed, and 15N2 was detected only in reactions with tBu3ArO•.

Polynuclear Iron(II) Pyridonates: Synthesis and Reactivity of Fe4 and Fe5 Clusters

The combination of pyridonate ligands with transition metal ions enables the synthesis of an especially rich set of diverse coordination compounds involving various κ- and μ-bonding modes and higher nuclearities. With iron(II) ions, this chemical space is rather poorly explored beyond some biomimetic models of the pyridone iron-containing hydrogenase. Here, the topologically new Fe₅ and Fe₄ clusters, Fe₅(L^H)₆[N(SiMe₃)₂]₄ (1) and Fe₄(L^Me)₆[N(SiMe₃)₂]₂ (2), were synthesized (L^H = 2-pyridonate; L^Me = 6-methyl-2-pyridonate). Complex 1 contained an unprecedented diamondoid Fe@Fe₄ tetrahedron with a central-to-peripheral Fe-Fe distance of ∼3.1 Å. The crystal structure of complex 2 displayed an Fe₄O₆ butterfly motif containing a planar Fe₄ arrangement. Mössbauer spectroscopy confirmed the high-spin ferrous character of all iron ions. SQUID magnetometry reveals that the Fe(II) ions are involved in weak magnetic exchange coupling across the pyridonate bridges that results in antiferromagnetic interactions. The Fe₄ cluster exhibits slow relaxation of magnetization under an applied magnetic field with an effective energy barrier of 38.5 K, rarely observed among the very rare examples of Fe(II) cluster-based single-molecule magnets. Studies of protolytic substitution of the amido ligands demonstrated the lability of the diamondoid Fe₅ core in 1 and the stability of the Fe₄ rhomboid in 2.