A Dimeric Hydride-Bridged Complex with Geometrically Distinct Iron Centers Giving Rise to an S = 3 Ground State

Low-Coordinate Iron Hydride Chemistry at an N,N,C-Heteroscorpionate Platform

Locally high-spin iron hydrides are proposed to play a critical role as intermediates in iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco)-catalyzed N2 fixation. Inspired by these biological systems, we report herein our initial investigations into low-coordinate iron hydride chemistry supported by our N,N,C-heteroscorpionate ligands. Those ligands with smaller steric profiles are unable to completely suppress the formation of a binuclear [Fe(μ2-H)]2 complex; however, the incorporation of more substantial steric bulk allows for the isolation of a rare example of a terminal, high-spin (S = 2) Fe2+ hydride. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggests an unusually weak Fe-H bond in the latter molecule. Mössbauer spectroscopies, coupled with density functional theory calculations, highlights the substantial influence of the terminal hydride ligand on 57Fe isomer shift.

Terminal Hydride Complex of High-Spin Mn

The iron-molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenase (FeMoco) catalyzes fixation of N2 via Fe hydride intermediates. Our understanding of these species has relied heavily on the characterization of well-defined 3d metal hydride complexes, which serve as putative spectroscopic models. Although the Fe ions in FeMoco, a weak-field cluster, are expected to adopt locally high-spin Fe2+/3+ configurations, synthetically accessible hydride complexes featuring d5 or d6 electron counts are almost exclusively low-spin. We report herein the isolation of a terminal hydride complex of four-coordinate, high-spin (d5; S = 5/2) Mn2+. Electron paramagnetic resonance and electron-nuclear double resonance studies reveal an unusually large degree of spin density on the hydrido ligand. In light of the isoelectronic relationship between Mn2+ and Fe3+, our results are expected to inform our understanding of the valence electronic structures of reactive hydride intermediates derived from FeMoco.

Dynamic effects on ligand field from rapid hydride motion in an iron(ii) dimer with an S = 3 ground state

Hydride complexes are important in catalysis and in iron-sulfur enzymes like nitrogenase, but the impact of hydride mobility on local iron spin states has been underexplored. We describe studies of a dimeric diiron(ii) hydride complex using X-ray and neutron crystallography, Mössbauer spectroscopy, magnetism, DFT, and ab initio calculations, which give insight into the dynamics and the electronic structure brought about by the hydrides. The two iron sites in the dimer have differing square-planar (intermediate-spin) and tetrahedral (high-spin) iron geometries, which are distinguished only by the hydride positions. These are strongly coupled to give an S total = 3 ground state with substantial magnetic anisotropy, and the merits of both localized and delocalized spin models are discussed. The dynamic nature of the sites is dependent on crystal packing, as shown by changes during a phase transformation that occurs near 160 K. The change in dynamics of the hydride motion leads to insight into its influence on the electronic structure. The accumulated data indicate that the two sites can trade geometries by rotating the hydrides, at a rate that is rapid above the phase transition temperature but slow below it. This small movement of the hydrides causes large changes in the ligand field because they are strong-field ligands. This suggests that hydrides could be useful in catalysis not only due to their reactivity, but also due to their ability to rapidly modulate the local electronic structure and spin states at metal sites.

Catalytic Carbodiimide Guanylation by a Nucleophilic, High Spin Iron(II) Imido Complex

Reduction of the three-coordinate iron(III) imido [Ph₂B(^tBuIm)₂Fe═NDipp] (1) affords [Ph₂B(^tBuIm)₂Fe═NDipp][K(18-C-6)THF₂] (2), a rare example of a high-spin (S = 2) iron(II) imido complex. Unusually for a late metal imido complex, the imido ligand in 2 has nucleophilic character, as demonstrated by the reaction with DippNH₂, which establishes an equilibrium with the bis(anilido) complex [Ph₂B(^tBuIm)₂Fe(NHDipp)₂][K(18-C-6)THF₂] (3). In an unusual transformation, formal insertion of ⁱPrN═C═NⁱPr into the Fe═N(imido) bond yields the guanidinate [Ph₂B(^tBuIm)₂Fe(ⁱPrN)₂CNDipp][K(18-C-6)THF₂] (4). Reaction of 4 with excess DippNH₂ provides 3, along with the guanidine (ⁱPrNH)₂C═NDipp. As suggested by these stoichiometric reactions, 2 is an efficient catalyst for the guanylation of carbodiimides, converting a wide range of aniline substrates under mild conditions.

Isomerization Reactions in Anionic Mesoionic Carbene-Borates and Control of Properties and Reactivities in the Resulting CoII Complexes through Agostic Interactions

We present herein anionic borate-based bi-mesoionic carbene compounds of the 1,2,3-triazol-4-ylidene type that undergo C-N isomerization reactions. The isomerized compounds are excellent ligands for CoII  centers. Strong agostic interactions with the "C-H"-groups of the cyclohexyl substituents result in an unusual low-spin square planar CoII  complex, which is unreactive towards external substrates. Such agostic interactions are absent in the complex with phenyl substituents on the borate backbone. This complex displays a high-spin tetrahedral CoII  center, which is reactive towards external substrates including dioxygen. To the best of our knowledge, this is also the first investigation of agostic interactions through single-crystal EPR spectroscopy. We conclusively show here that the structure and properties of these CoII complexes can be strongly influenced through interactions in the secondary coordination sphere. Additionally, we unravel a unique ligand rearrangement for these classes of anionic mesoionic carbene-based ligands.

Mixed-Valent Diiron μ-Carbyne, μ-Hydride Complexes: Implications for Nitrogenase

Binding of N₂ by the FeMo-cofactor of nitrogenase is believed to occur after transfer of 4 e^- and 4 H⁺ equivalents to the active site. Although pulse EPR studies indicate the presence of two Fe-(μ-H)-Fe moieties, the structural and electronic features of this mixed valent intermediate remain poorly understood. Toward an improved understanding of this bioorganometallic cluster, we report herein that diiron μ-carbyne complex (P₆ArC)Fe₂(μ-H) can be oxidized and reduced, allowing for the first time spectral characterization of two EPR-active Fe(μ-C)(μ-H)Fe model complexes linked by a 2 e^- transfer which bear some resemblance to a pair of E_n and E_n+2 states of nitrogenase. Both species populate S = 1/2 states at low temperatures, and the influence of valence (de)localization on the spectroscopic signature of the μ-hydride ligand was evaluated by pulse EPR studies. Compared to analogous data for the {Fe₂(μ-H)}₂ state of FeMoco (E₄(4H)), the data and analysis presented herein suggest that the hydride ligands in E₄(4H) bridge isovalent (most probably Fe^III) metal centers. Although electron transfer involves metal-localized orbitals, investigations of [(P₆ArC)Fe₂(μ-H)]⁺¹ and [(P₆ArC)Fe₂(μ-H)]^-1 by pulse EPR revealed that redox chemistry induces significant changes in Fe-C covalency (-50% upon 2 e^- reduction), a conclusion further supported by X-ray absorption spectroscopy, ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer studies, and DFT calculations. Combined, our studies demonstrate that changes in covalency buffer against the accumulation of excess charge density on the metals by partially redistributing it to the bridging carbon, thereby facilitating multielectron transformations.

The electronic structure of a β-diketiminate manganese hydride dimer

The electronic structure of a dimeric manganese hydride catalyst supported by β-diketiminate ligands, [(2,6-iPr2PhBDI)Mn(μ-H)]2, was investigated with density functional theory. A triple bond between the manganese centres was anticipated from simple electron-counting rules; however, calculations revealed Mn-Mn Mayer bond orders of 0.21 and 0.27 for the ferromagnetically-coupled and antiferromagnetically-coupled extremes, respectively. In accordance with experimentally determined Heisenberg exchange coupling constants of -15 ± 0.1 cm-1 (SQUID) and -10.2 ± 0.7 cm-1 (EPR), the calculated J0 value of -10.9 cm-1 confirmed that the ground state involves antiferromagnetic coupling between high spin Mn(ii)-d5 centres. The effect of steric bulk on the bond order was examined via a model study with the least sterically-demanding version of the β-diketiminate ligand and was found to be negligible. Mixing between metal- and β-diketiminate-based orbitals was found to be responsible for the absence of a metal-metal multiple bond. The bridging hydrides give rise to a relatively close positioning of the metal centres, while bridging atoms possessing 2p orbitals result in longer Mn-Mn distances and more stable dimers. The synthesis and characterization of the bridging hydroxide variant, [(2,6-iPr2PhBDI)Mn(μ-OH)]2, provides experimental support for these assessments.