• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: Oxidative degradation of the organometallic iron(II) complex [Fe{bis[3-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-imidazol-1-yl]methane}(MeCN)(PMe3)](PF6)2: structure of the ligand decomposition product trappedviacoordination to iron(II)
  • Contributor: Haslinger, Stefan; Pöthig, Alexander; Cokoja, Mirza; Kühn, Fritz E.
  • Published: International Union of Crystallography (IUCr), 2015
  • Published in: Acta Crystallographica Section C Structural Chemistry, 71 (2015) 12, Seite 1096-1099
  • Language: Without Specification
  • DOI: 10.1107/s2053229615021968
  • ISSN: 2053-2296
  • Keywords: Materials Chemistry ; Inorganic Chemistry ; Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ; Condensed Matter Physics
  • Origination:
  • Footnote:
  • Description: Iron is of interest as a catalyst because of its established use in the Haber–Bosch process and because of its high abundance and low toxicity. Nitrogen-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) are important ligands in homogeneous catalysis and iron–NHC complexes have attracted increasing attention in recent years but still face problems in terms of stability under oxidative conditions. The structure of the iron(II) complex [1,1′-bis(pyridin-2-yl)-2,2-bi(1H-imidazole)-κN3][3,3′-bis(pyridin-2-yl-κN)-1,1′-methanediylbi(1H-imidazol-2-yl-κC2)](trimethylphosphane-κP)iron(II) bis(hexafluoridophosphate), [Fe(C17H14N6)(C16H12N6)(C3H9P)](PF6)2, features coordination by an organic decomposition product of a tetradentate NHC ligand in an axial position. The decomposition product, a C—C-coupled biimidazole, is trapped by coordination to still-intact iron(II) complexes. Insights into the structural features of the organic decomposition products might help to improve the stability of oxidation catalysts under harsh conditions.