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This work reports on iron-catalysed hydroxylation of benzene and toluene using aqueous H2O2. While benzene is hydroxylated with a high selectivity to phenol, toluene is hydroxylated to cresols with a high selectivity for the ortho and para-position. An inverse KIE indicates the presence of a high valent Fe=O species during catalysis.

Three novel iron(II) complexes bearing tetradentate ligands of the type pyridine–bis(N-heterocyclic carbene)–pyridine (NCCN) have been synthesized. The compounds trans-diacetonitrile[bis(o-imidazol-2-ylidenepyridine)alkane]iron(II) hexafluorophosphate (alkane = methane (2a), ethane (2b)) and cis-diacetonitrile[1,3-bis(o-imidazol-2-ylidenepyridine)propane]iron(II) hexafluorophosphate (2c) have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and infrared spectroscopy (IR). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements show reversible oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III). The rotational barrier of the bridge has been determined via variable-temperature NMR (VT-NMR) studies of 2b. In all complexes, the Fe centers coordinatein addition to the NCCN ligandstwo acetonitrile ligands in the solid state as well as in solution. The alkylene bridge connecting the two NHCs has an influence on the coordination mode of the NCCN ligands. Whereas the methylene- and ethylene-bridged NHC moieties lead to a nearly planar geometry of the NCCN ligand and two trans-positioned acetonitrile ligands, the propylene-bridged complex 2c exhibits a sawhorse-type coordination mode, with two cis-oriented acetonitrile ligands. The reactivity of the synthesized complexes toward substitution of the solvent ligands was investigated, showing that acetonitrile is readily substituted by benzonitrile. Upon addition of carbon monoxide, one acetonitrile ligand is replaced by CO to yield complexes 3a–c, as shown by NMR and IR spectroscopy, as well as by XRD in the case of compound 3c.

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The catalytic epoxidation of olefins by an iron(II) complex bearing a tetradentate bis(pyridyl‐N‐heterocyclic carbene) ligand was investigated. This is the first example of the use of an organometallic iron compound (i.e., with a FeC bond) as an olefin epoxidation catalyst. The catalyst system, used without additives, showed good epoxide yields and selectivity for various olefins after a reaction time of 5 min. It was found that the epoxide yield strongly depended on the amount of the peroxide used and its nature and noticeably increased at lower temperatures.