High turnover in electro-oxidation of alcohols and ethers with a glassy carbon-supported phenanthroimidazole mediator.

Glassy carbon electrodes covalently modified with a phenanthroimidazole mediator promote electrochemical alcohol and ether oxidation: three orders of magnitude increase in TON, to ∼15 000 in each case, was observed compared with homogeneous mediated reactions. We propose the deactivation pathways in homogeneous solution are prevented by the immobilization: modified electrode reversibility is increased for a one-electron oxidation reaction. The modified electrodes were used to catalytically oxidize p-anisyl alcohol and 1-((benzyloxy)methyl)-4-methoxybenzene, selectively, to the corresponding benzaldehyde and benzyl ester, respectively.

One-electron oxidation chemistry and subsequent reactivity of diiron imido complexes.

The chemical oxidation and subsequent group transfer activity of the unusual diiron imido complexes Fe((i)PrNPPh2)3Fe≡NR (R = tert-butyl ((t)Bu), 1; adamantyl, 2) was examined. Bulk chemical oxidation of 1 and 2 with Fc[PF6] (Fc = ferrocene) is accompanied by fluoride ion abstraction from PF6(-) by the iron center trans to the Fe≡NR functionality, forming F-Fe((i)PrNPPh2)3Fe≡NR ((i)Pr = isopropyl) (R = (t)Bu, 3; adamantyl, 4). Axial halide ligation in 3 and 4 significantly disrupts the Fe-Fe interaction in these complexes, as is evident by the >0.3 Å increase in the intermetallic distance in 3 and 4 compared to 1 and 2. Mössbauer spectroscopy suggests that each of the two pseudotetrahedral iron centers in 3 and 4 is best described as Fe(III) and that one-electron oxidation has occurred at the tris(amido)-ligated iron center. The absence of electron delocalization across the Fe-Fe≡NR chain in 3 and 4 allows these complexes to readily react with CO and (t)BuNC to generate the Fe(III)Fe(I) complexes F-Fe((i)PrNPPh2)3Fe(CO)2 (5) and F-Fe((i)PrNPPh2)3Fe((t)BuNC)2 (6), respectively. Computational methods are utilized to better understand the electronic structure and reactivity of oxidized complexes 3 and 4.

Metal-metal interactions in C3-symmetric diiron imido complexes linked by phosphinoamide ligands.

The tris(phosphinoamide)-bridged Fe(II)Fe(II) diiron complex Fe(µ-(i)PrNPPh2)3Fe(η(2)-(i)PrNPPh2) (1) can be reduced in the absence or presence of PMe3 to generate the mixed-valence Fe(II)Fe(I) complexes Fe(µ-(i)PrNPPh2)3Fe(PPh2NH(i)Pr) (2) or Fe(µ-(i)PrNPPh2)3Fe(PMe3) (3), respectively. Following a typical oxidative group transfer procedure, treatment of 2 or 3 with organic azides generates the mixed-valent Fe(II)Fe(III) imido complexes Fe((i)PrNPPh2)3Fe≡NR (R = (t)Bu (4), Ad (5), 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl (6)). These complexes represent the first examples of first-row bimetallic complexes featuring both metal-ligand multiple bonds and metal-metal bonds. The reduced complexes 2 and 3 and imido complexes 4-6 have been characterized via X-ray crystallography, Mössbauer spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and SQUID magnetometry, and a theoretical description of the bonding within these diiron complexes has been obtained using computational methods. The effect of the metal-metal interaction on the electronic structure and bonding in diiron imido complexes 4-6 is discussed in the context of similar monometallic iron imido complexes.