Abstract
Fe(NO)2XL and Fe(NO)X2L nitrosyl iron complexes, X = Cl, I, and L = HMPA, dppe, PPh3, activate molecular O2 to yield nitrato complexes. The phosphorous ligand is decisive for the oxidative power of these nitrates: with HMPA or dppe, oxygen transfer occurs only to phosphines. On going from HMPA to PPh3 the single nitrato complex obtained, Fe(NO)2X(OPPh3)2 selectively epoxidizes cyclohexene, and this is the first example of oxygen transfer from a nitrato ligand to an olefin.