A Carboxylate-Bridged Non-Heme Diiron Dinitrosyl Complex

The reaction of nitric oxide with the carboxylate-bridged diiron(II) complex [Fe(2)(Et-HPTB)(O(2)CPh)](BF(4))(2) (1a) afforded the dinitrosyl adduct, [Fe(2)(NO)(2)(Et-HPTB)(O(2)CPh)](BF(4))(2) (1b), where Et-HPTB = N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(N-ethyl-2-benzimidazolylmethyl)-2-hydroxy-1,3-diaminopropane, in 69% yield. Compound 1b further reacts with dioxygen to form the bis(nitrato) complex, [Fe(2)(Et-HPTB)(NO(3))(2)(OH)](BF(4))(2) (1c). The structure of 1b was determined by X-ray crystallography (triclinic, P&onemacr;, a = 13.5765(8) Å, b = 15.4088(10) Å, c = 16.2145(10) Å, alpha = 73.656(1) degrees, beta = 73.546(1) degrees, gamma = 73.499(1) degrees, V = 3043.8(7) Å(3), T = -80 degrees C, Z = 2, and R = 0.085 and R(w) = 0.095 for 5644 independent reflections with I > 3sigma(I)). The two nitrosyl units are equivalent with an average Fe-N-O angle of 167.4 +/- 0.8 degrees. Spectroscopic characterization of solid 1b revealed an NO stretch at 1785 cm(-)(1) in the infrared and Mössbauer parameters of delta = 0.67 mm s(-)(1) and DeltaE(Q) = 1.44 mm s(-)(1) at 4.2 K. These data are comparable to those for other {FeNO}(7) systems. An S = (3)/(2) spin state was assigned from magnetic susceptibility studies to the two individual {FeNO} centers, each of which has a nitrosyl ligand antiferromagnetically coupled to iron. A least-squares fit of the chi vs temperature plots to a theoretical model yielded an exchange coupling constant J of -23 cm(-)(1), where H = -2JS(1).S(2), indicating that the two S = (3)/(2) centers are antiferromagnetically coupled to one another. An extended Hückel calculation on a model complex, [Fe(2)(NO)(2)(NH(3))(6)(O(2)CH)(OH)](2+), revealed that the magnitudes of Fe-N-O angles are dictated by pi-bonding interactions between the Fe d(xz)() and NO pi orbitals.