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Double Deprotonation of CH3CN by an Iron-Aluminium Complex
Benedek Stadler1, Nikolaus Gorgas1,2, Andrew J P White1
1Department of Chemistry Imperial College London White City London W12 0BZ UK.
Abstract:
Herein we present the first double deprotonation of acetonitrile (CH3CN) using two equivalents of a bimetallic iron-aluminium complex. The products of this reaction contain an exceeding simple yet rare [CHCN]2- dianion moiety that bridges two metal fragments. DFT calculations suggest that the bonding to the metal centres occurs through heavily polarised covalent interactions. Mechanistic studies reveal the intermediacy of a monomeric [CH2CN]- complex, which has been characterised in situ. Our findings provide an important example in which a bimetallic metal complex achieves a new type of reactivity not previously encountered with monometallic counterparts.[1, 2] The isolation of a [CHCN]2- dianion through simple deprotonation of CH3CN also offers the possibility of establishing a broader chemistry of this motif.
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