Reversible cleavage and recombination of an acetylenic carbon-carbon bond on a tetrairon cluster coupled with a two-electron redox reaction.

Two-electron reduction of [(eta5-C5H4Me)4Fe4(mu3-CH)2(mu3-CO)2](PF6)2 (1) results in the coupling of two methylidyne ligands to form (eta5-C5H4Me)4Fe4(HCCH)(mu3-CO)2 (2), the two-electron oxidation of which reproduces 1. Structures of 1 and 2 were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis.

Synthesis and structures of one- and two-electron oxidized forms of bis(acetylene)tetrairon clusters Cp'(4)Fe(4)(HCCH)(2) (Cp' = Cp, eta5-C(5)H(4)Me).

Air-oxidation of Cp'(4)Fe(4)(HCCH)(2) (Cp' = Cp (1a), C(5)H(4)Me (1b)) in an NH(4)PF(6)/CH(3)CN solution afforded the one-electron oxidized clusters [Cp'(4)Fe(4)(HCCH)(2)](PF(6)). Oxidation of 1a with excess AgBF(4) in THF afforded [1a](BF(4)), while that of 1b with excess AgBF(4) gave [1b](BF(4))(2). The X-ray crystal structure analysis of [1a](BF(4)) revealed that the monocationic cluster retains the butterfly-type Fe(4)(mu4-eta(2):eta(2):eta(1):eta(1)-HCCH)(2) framework similar to that of the neutral cluster. The average Fe-Fe bond length is shorter by 0.029 A than that in the neutral cluster. Electrochemical oxidation of 1a and 1b in 0.1 M NH(4)PF(6)/CH(3)CN solution at +0.30 and +0.25 V versus Ag/10 mM AgNO(3), respectively, afforded the two-electron oxidized clusters [1a](PF(6))(2) and [1b](PF(6))(2). The X-ray crystal structure analysis for [1b](BF(4))(2) shows that the butterfly-type cluster core is retained but shrinks more of those of neutral and monocationic clusters. The four Fe-Fe bonds in [1b](BF(4))(2) are unequivalent: one Fe-Fe bond (2.397(1) A) is apparently shorter than the others (2.439(2)-2.461(2) A).