Abstract
Reaction of the mononuclear Ni(II) thiolate complexes [Ni(L)] [L, L1, H2L1, bis(2-mercaptoethyl)-1,2-dimercaptoethane; L2, H2L2, N,N′-dimethyl-N,N′-bis(2-mercaptoethyl)-bis(aminoethyl)sulfide] with [FeCp(CO)2I] gives the dithiolate-bridged heterobimetallic species, [Ni(L1)FeCp(CO)]PF6, 1, and [Ni(L2)FeCp]I, 2, respectively. Binding of a Fe(CO)3 fragment via reaction of square-planar [Ni(pdt)(dppe)] (dppe, 1,2-diphenylphosphinoethane; pdt2–, 1,3-propanedithiolate) with Fe3(CO)12 or [Fe(CO)3(BDA)] (BDA, benzylidene acetone) affords diamagnetic [(dppe)Ni(μ-pdt)Fe(CO)3], 3, in which the Ni(II) center is bound tetrahedrally to two thiolate S-donors and to two P-donors. The complex [(dppe)Ni(μ-pdt)Fe(CO)3], 3, reacts in solution via rearrangement to afford [(OC)Ni(μ-dppe)(μ-pdt)Fe(CO)2], 4, in which one P-donor of dppe is bound to Ni and the other to Fe, and a CO ligand has transferred from Fe to Ni. Additionally, the syntheses of 3 and 4 afford the side products [(dppe)Ni(CO)2] and [(OC)3Fe(pdt)Fe(CO)3] together with the trinuclear species [(dppe)(CO)Fe(μ-CO)(μ-pdt)Fe(μ-pdt)Fe(CO)3], 5. Reaction of [Ni(pdt)(dppe)] with [FeCp(CO)2I] in CH2Cl2 affords two products [(dppe)Ni(μ-pdt)FeCp(CO)]PF6, 6, and [(dppe)Ni(pdt)(μ-I)Ni(dppe)]PF6, 7. The complexes 2, 3, and 4 show Ni–Fe distances of 2.539(4), 2.4666(6), and 2.4777(7) Å, respectively, with relatively acute dihedral angles of 79.5–81.8° for the Ni–S2-Fe bridge, thus mimicking the shortened Ni...Fe distance (2.5 Å) and the acute dihedral angle of the Ni–S2–Fe moiety observed in certain active forms of [NiFe]hydrogenase. The role of direct Ni–Fe bonding in these complexes is discussed and linked to electronic structure calculations on [(dppe)Ni(pdt)Fe(CO)3], 3, which confirm the presence of a bent Ni(dz2)-Fe(dz2) σ-bond in a singlet ground state.
