An iron(II) dihydrogen hydrido complex containing the tripodal tetraphosphine ligand P(CH2CH2PMe2)3
Date
2004
Authors
Field, L.
Li, H.
Messerle, B.
Smernik, R.
Turner, P.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Dalton Transactions, 2004; 2004(9):1418-1423
Statement of Responsibility
Leslie D. Field, Hsiu L. Li, Barbara A. Messerle, Ronald J. Smernik and Peter Turner
Conference Name
DOI
Abstract
The dihydrogen hydrido complex [FeH(H2)(PP3)]+ 1 (PP3 = P(CH2CH2PMe2)3 2) was formed by the protonation of the dihydrido complex FeH2(PP3) 3 with methanol or ethanol. The observation of H-D coupling in partially deuterated isotopomers of 1 and measurement of T1 relaxation times for the hydrido and dihydrogen resonances of 1 confirmed the presence of the eta2-dihydrogen ligand. Complex 1 shows dynamic NMR behaviour in both the 31P and 1H NMR spectra with facile exchange between the protons in the eta2-dihydrogen ligand and the eta1-hydrido ligand. The dihydrogen ligand of 1 is easily displaced by both anionic and neutral ligands to afford the corresponding hydrido complexes [FeHX(PP3)]+ (X = CO 11, X = PPh3 12) or FeHX(PP3)(X = Cl 13, X = Br 14, X = I 15, X = N3 16). Small quantities of the alkoxy hydrido complexes FeH(OR)(PP3)(R = Me 4; R = Et 5) are observed in methanol and ethanol solutions containing 1. In methanol solution, FeH(OMe)(PP3) 4 reacts to form the carbonyl hydrido complex [FeH(CO)(PP3)]+ 11 and isotopic labelling confirms that the carbonyl ligand of 11 is derived from the methanol solvent. The mechanism of methanol oxidation presumably proceeds through beta-hydride elimination from FeH(OMe)(PP3) to produce formaldehyde as an intermediate which is further dehydrogenated to form the carbonyl ligand. [FeH(H2)(PP3)]+ 1 and FeHCl(PP3) 13 react rapidly with paraformaldehyde to also form [FeH(CO)(PP3)]+ 11. Complex 11 also decarbonylates acetaldehyde to afford the methyl carbonyl complex [FeMe(CO)(PP3)]+ 17. The structure of 17 was confirmed by X-ray crystallography.