Synthesis, crystal structures and electrocatalytic properties of bridgehead-C-functionalized diiron dithiolate complexes

Abstract

To investigate the influence of bridgehead-C functionality in diiron dithiolate complexes on the molecular structure and electrocatalytic properties of [FeFe]-hydrogenase models, three new bridgehead-C-functionalized model complexes 1–3 have been synthesized and structurally characterized. Treatments of parent complex [(μ-SCH₂)₂CHCO₂H][Fe₂(CO)₆] (A) with the esterification agents o-MeC₆H₄OH, p-ClC₆H₄OH, or p-HOC₆H₄CHO in the presence of 4-dimethylaminopyridine and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide in CH₂Cl₂ at room temperature resulted in formation of [(μ-SCH₂)₂CHCO₂R][Fe₂(CO)₆] (R = o-MeC₆H₄–, 1; p-ClC₆H₄–, 2; p-OHCC₆H₄–, 3) in 53–55% yields. The new complexes 1–3 were characterized by elemental analysis, IR and NMR spectroscopy, and especially determined by X-ray crystallography. The electrochemical properties of 1–3 and the electrocatalytic H₂ evolution catalyzed by 1 have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry, where 1 is a catalyst for HOAc proton reduction to H₂ under electrochemical conditions.

Keywords:

• Diiron dithiolate complexes
• Bridgehead-C-functionalized
• Synthesis
• Crystal structure
• Electrocatalytic property

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 21301160]; the Natural Science Foundation for Young Scholars of Shanxi Province [grant number 2012021007-4].