Crystal structures of two novel iron isocyanides from the reaction of 2,6-dimethylphenyl isocyanide, CNXyl, with bis(anthracene)ferrate(−1)

Abstract

The reaction of the [K(18-crown-6)(thf)2]1+ (thf is tetrahydrofuran) salt of bis(anthracene)ferrate(−1), or [Fe(C14H10)2]−, with 2,6-dimethylphenyl isocyanide (CNXyl) in thf resulted in the formation of two new iron isocyanide complexes, namely, [(1,2,3,4-η)-anthracene]tris(2,6-dimethylphenyl isocyanide)iron, [Fe(C14H10)(C9H9N)3] or [Fe(1,2,3,4-η-C14H10)(CNXyl)3], and {5,6-bis(2,6-dimethylanilino)-3-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2,7-tris[(2,6-dimethylphenyl)imino]-3-azoniahept-3-ene-1,4,7-triido}tris(2,6-dimethylphenyl isocyanide)iron tetrahydrofuran disolvate, [Fe(C54H56N6)(C9H9N)3]·2C4H8O or [Fe(C54H56N6)(CNXyl)3]·2C4H8O, which were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The former is likely an intermediate along the path to the known homoleptic [Fe(CNXyl)5], while the latter contains a tridentate ligand that is formed from the `coupling' of six CNXyl ligands. A third crystal structure from this reaction, (7-methylindol-1-ido-κN)(1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane-κ6 O)potassium, [K(C9H8N)(C12H24O6)] or [K(C9H8N)(18-crown-6)], contains a 7-methylindol-1-ide anion, in which one CNXyl ligand has shed a proton during its reductive cyclization.