A bis-Phenolate Carbene-Supported bis-μ-Oxo Iron(IV/IV) Complex with a [Fe IV (μ-O) 2 Fe IV ] Diamond Core Derived from Dioxygen Activation.

The diiron(II) complex, [(OCO)Fe(MeCN)] ₂ ( 1 , MeCN = acetonitrile), supported by the bis-phenolate carbene pincer ligand, 1,3-bis(3,5-di- tert -butyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazolin-2-ylidene (OCO), was synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, ¹ H nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared (IR) vibrational, ultraviolet/visible/near-infrared (UV/vis/NIR) electronic absorption, ⁵⁷ Fe Mössbauer, X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and SQUID magnetization measurements. Complex 1 activates dioxygen to yield the diferric, μ-oxo-bridged complex [(OCO)Fe(py)(μ-O)Fe(O(C═O)O)(py)] ( 2 ) that was isolated and fully characterized. In 2 , one of the iron-carbene bonds was oxidized to give a urea motif, resulting in an O(C _NHC ═O)O binding site, while the other Fe(OCO) unit remained unchanged. When the reaction is performed at -80 °C, an intensively colored, purple intermediate is observed ( INT , λ _max = 570 nm; ε = 5600 mol L ^-1 cm ^-1 ). INT acts as a sluggish oxidant, reacting only with easily oxidizable substrates, such as PPh ₃ or 2-phenylpropionic aldehyde (2-PPA). The identity of INT can be best described as a dinuclear complex containing a closed diamond core motif [(OCO)Fe ^IV (μ-O) ₂ Fe ^IV (OCO)]. This proposal is based on extensive spectroscopic [UV/vis/NIR electronic absorption, ⁵⁷ Fe Mössbauer, X-band EPR, resonance Raman (rRaman), X-ray absorption, and nuclear resonance vibrational (NRVS)] and computational studies. The conversion of the diiron(II) complex 1 to the oxo diiron(IV) intermediate INT is reminiscent of the O ₂ activation process in soluble methane monooxygenases (sMMO). Most importantly, the low reactivity of INT supports the consensus that the [Fe ^IV (μ-O) ₂ Fe ^IV ] diamond core in sMMO is kinetically inert and needs to open up to terminal Fe ^IV ═O cores to react with the strong C-H bonds of methane.