Studies on the Condensation Pathway to and Properties of Diiron Azadithiolate Carbonyls

Reaction of Fe(2)(SH)(2)(CO)(6) and HCHO, which gives Fe(2)[(SCH(2))(2)NH](CO)(6) in the presence of NH(3), affords the possible intermediate Fe(2)(SCH(2)OH)(2)(CO)(6), which has been characterized crystallographically as its axial-equatorial isomer. Fe(2)(SCH(2)OH)(2)(CO)(6) was shown to react with ammonia and amines to give Fe(2)[(SCH(2))(2)NR](CO)(6) (R = H, alkyl). Related hemithioacetal intermediates were generated by treatment of Fe(2)(SH)(2)(CO)(6) with RC(O)C(O)R (R = H, Ph, 4-F-C(6)H(4)) to give cycloadducts. The benzil derivative Fe(2)[S(2)C(2)(OH)(2)Ph(2)](CO)(6), a C(2)-symmetric species, was also characterized crystallographically. The acylated azadithiolate Fe(2)[(SCH(2))(2)NAc](CO)(6) was prepared by reaction of Li(2)Fe(2)S(2)(CO)(6) with (ClCH(2))(2)NC(O)Me. DNMR experiments show that the free energies of activation for rotation of the amide bond are the same for Fe(2)[(SCH(2))(2)NAc](CO)(6) and Fe(2)[(SCH(2))(2)NAc](CO)(4)(PMe(3))(2), which implies that the ligands on the iron centers do not strongly affect the basicity of the nitrogen. As a control, we showed that the thioamide Fe(2)[(SCH(2))(2)NC(S)Me](CO)(6) does exhibit a significantly higher barrier to rotation, attributable to the increased double-bond character of the N-C(S) bond.