869986-11-8Relevant academic research and scientific papers
Low-valent α-diimine iron complexes for catalytic olefin hydrogenation
Bart, Suzanne C.,Hawrelak, Eric J.,Lobkovsky, Emil,Chirik, Paul J.
, p. 5518 - 5527 (2008/10/09)
A family of low-valent α-diimine iron complexes has been synthesized and their utility in catalytic olefin hydrogenation reactions evaluated. Reduction of the ferrous dichloride complex [ArN=C(Me)C(Me)=NAr]FeCl2 (Ar = 2,6-(CHMe2)2-C6H3) with sodium amalgam in benzene or toluene furnished the iron arene complexes, [ArN=C(Me)C(Me)=NAr]Fe(η6-C6H5R) (R = H, Me). The solid-state structure of the toluene adduct revealed a contracted carbon-carbon backbone, short iron-imine bonds, and elongated imine nitrogen-carbon distances, suggesting significant reduction of the α-diimine ligand. The analogous reduction in alkane solvents afforded the bis(α-diimine) complex [ArN=C(Me)C(Me)=NAr]2Fe, which has also been crystallographically characterized. The arene complexes and the bis(a-diimine) complexes are inactive for catalytic olefin hydrogenation. Performing the reduction in the presence of internal alkynes such as diphenylacetylene and bis(trimethylsilyl)acetylene furnished the alkyne adducts [ArN=C(Me)C(Me)=NAr]Fe(η2-RC=CR) (R = Ph, SiMe3 ). Analogous olefin complexes with 1,5-cyclooctadiene and cycloctene have also been isolated using similar reduction procedures. The olefin adducts provide more active precatalysts than the alkyne compounds for the hydrogenation of 1-hexene. In each case, formation of rfarene adducts serves as a major catalyst deactivation pathway.
