Synthesis, Structure, and Hydrogenolysis of Pyridine Dicarbene Iron Dialkyl Complexes

Two methods for the synthesis of bis(imidazol-2-ylidene)pyridine iron dialkyl complexes, (CNC)Fe(CH(2)SiMe(3))(2), have been developed. The first route consists of addition of two equivalents of LiCH(2)SiMe(3) to the iron dihalide complex, (CNC)FeBr(2), while the second relies on addition of the free CNC ligand to readily-prepared (py)(2)Fe(CH(2)SiMe(3))(2) (py = pyridine). With aryl-substituted CNC ligands, octahedral complexes of the type ((Ar)CNC)Fe(CH(2)SiMe(3))(2)(N(2)) ((Ar)CNC = bis(arylimidazol-2-ylidene)pyridine) were isolated, where the dinitrogen ligand occupies the site trans to the pyridine of the CNC-chelate. In contrast, the alkyl-substituted variant, ((tBu)ACNC)Fe(CH(2)SiMe(3))(2) ((tBu)ACNC = 2,6-((t)Bu-imidazol-2-ylidene)(2)pyridine) was isolated as the five-coordinate compound lacking dinitrogen. Exposure of the ((Ar)CNC)Fe(CH(2)SiMe(3))(2)(N(2)) derivatives to an H(2) atmosphere resulted in formation of the corresponding iron hydride complexes ((Ar)CNC)FeH(4). These compounds catalyzed hydrogen isotope exchange between the deuterated benzene solvent and H(2), generating isotopologues and isotopomers of ((Ar)CNC)Fe(H(n))(D(4-n)) (n = 0–4). When (3,5-Me(2)(Mes)CNC)Fe(CH(2)SiMe(3))(2)(N(2)) (3,5-Me(2)(Mes)CNC = 2,6-(2,4,6-Me(3)-C6H2-imidazol-2-ylidene)(2)-3,5-Me(2)-pyridine) was treated successively with H(2) and then N(2), the corresponding reduced dinitrogen complex (3,5-Me(2)(Mes)CNC)Fe(N(2))(2) was isolated. The same product was also obtained following addition of pinacolborane to (3,5-Me(2)(Mes)CNC)Fe(CH(2)SiMe(3))(2)(N(2)).