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Colors and Magnetism

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When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Protein Film Infrared Electrochemistry Demonstrated for Study of H2 Oxidation by a [NiFe] Hydrogenase

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Published on: December 4, 2017

Unusual Dinitrogen Binding and Electron Storage in Dinuclear Iron Complexes.

Dieter Sorsche¹, Matthias E Miehlich², Keith Searles^1,3

¹Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

|April 3, 2020

Summary

This study reports a rare dinuclear iron complex with a bridged dinitrogen ligand. Researchers characterized novel iron-dinitrogen complexes, revealing unique coordination geometries and electronic structures.

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Last Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Protein Film Infrared Electrochemistry Demonstrated for Study of H2 Oxidation by a [NiFe] Hydrogenase

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Published on: December 4, 2017

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EPR Monitored Redox Titration of the Cofactors of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Nar1

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Published on: November 26, 2014

Area of Science:

Inorganic Chemistry
Organometallic Chemistry
Coordination Chemistry

Background:

Dinitrogen (N2) complexes are crucial in catalysis and nitrogen fixation research.
Understanding the coordination and electronic structure of dinuclear iron-dinitrogen species is key to developing new catalytic systems.
Previous studies have focused on mononuclear iron-dinitrogen complexes, leaving dinuclear systems less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize and characterize novel dinuclear iron complexes featuring a bridging dinitrogen ligand.
To investigate the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of these unique iron-dinitrogen compounds.
To explore the reactivity and stability of these complexes under various reduction conditions.

Main Methods:

Synthesis of dinuclear iron complexes using KC8 reduction.
Characterization via single-crystal X-ray diffraction.
Magnetic susceptibility measurements (solution and solid-state).
57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy.
Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations.

Main Results:

Reported a rare dinuclear iron core with a non-linearly bridged dinitrogen ligand.
Synthesized and characterized four novel iron-dinitrogen complexes (2-5) with unusual coordination geometries.
Observed distorted FeN2Fe cores due to cis-divacant octahedral coordination and cation-pi interactions.
Demonstrated that complex 2 is thermally unstable, leading to N2 loss and disproportionation.

Conclusions:

Successfully synthesized and characterized unprecedented dinuclear iron-dinitrogen complexes.
The unique coordination environments significantly influence the electronic structure and stability of the FeN2Fe core.
These findings provide new insights into the fundamental chemistry of iron-dinitrogen interactions and potential catalytic applications.