Issue 20, 2013

Synthesis and catalytic activity of iron complexes with bidentate NHC ligands

Abstract

A family of well-defined FeII complexes of the type {BnN(N-CH2(CH2)n-N′-tert-butyl-imidazole-2-ylidene)2}FeCl2 (Bn = benzyl; n = 1 (1) or 2 (2)), {BnN(N-CH2(CH2)n-N′-methylbenzimidazole-2-ylidene)2}FeCl2 (n = 1 (3) or 2 (4)) and {BnN(N-CH2CH2CH2-N′-methylbenzimidazole-2-ylidene)2}FeBr2 (5) has been synthesized. These complexes are rare examples of Fe species supported by bidentate NHC ligands. Complexes 2, 3, 4 and 5 were characterized by X-ray crystallography and in all cases a distorted tetrahedral geometry is observed around the Fe center. The magnetic data is consistent with the complexes containing non interacting high spin FeII centers (S = 2) and indicates that a large zero-field splitting (D) is present. The new complexes are highly active pre-catalysts for the homo-coupling of Grignard reagents.

Graphical abstract: Synthesis and catalytic activity of iron complexes with bidentate NHC ligands

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 Oct 2012
Accepted
06 Feb 2013
First published
07 Feb 2013

Dalton Trans., 2013,42, 7404-7413

Synthesis and catalytic activity of iron complexes with bidentate NHC ligands

J. Wu, W. Dai, J. H. Farnaby, N. Hazari, J. J. Le Roy, V. Mereacre, M. Murugesu, A. K. Powell and M. K. Takase, Dalton Trans., 2013, 42, 7404 DOI: 10.1039/C3DT32551B

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