The reaction of meta- and para-bromomethylene-azobenzenes with 1-methyl-imidazole yields the respective meta-/para-functionalized azobenzenes tagged with an imidazolium group. Similar reactions of ortho- and para-bromo-azobenzene with imidazole and successive quaternation with benzylbromide give the analogues, with an imidazolium group in ortho/para substituted azobenzenes. With the exception of the ortho derivative, all imidazolium salts could be transformed into their respective silver(i) complexes by reaction with Ag2O. Transmetallation of these silver(i) complexes with (Me2S)AuCl gives the azobenzene-containing complexes (NHC)AuCl. Two of these formed crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction, which revealed the typical linear coordination geometry of the NHC-Au-Cl moiety. All gold complexes feature E→Z photo-isomerisation upon irradiation with UV light. The thermal back reaction to the E-isomers is relatively slow and comparable to that of other azobenzene compounds.

The air- and moisture-stable iron–sulfur carbonyl clusters Fe3S2(CO)7(dppm) (1) and Fe3S2(CO)7(dppf) (2) carrying the bisphosphine ligands bis(diphenylphosphanyl)methane (dppm) and 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphanyl)ferrocene (dppf) were prepared and fully characterized. Two alternative synthetic routes based on different thionation reactions of triiron dodecacarbonyl were tested. The molecular structures of the methylene-bridged compound 1 and the ferrocene-functionalized derivative 2 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The catalytic reactivity of the trinuclear iron–sulfur cluster core for proton reduction in solution at low overpotential was demonstrated. These deeply colored bisphosphine-bridged sulfur-capped iron carbonyl systems are discussed as promising candidates for the development of new bioinspired model compounds of iron-based hydrogenases.

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