Reaction of a trinuclear iron(II) complex, Fe3 Br3 L (1), with KC8 under N2 leads to dinitrogen activation products (2) from which Fe3 (NH)3 L (2-1; L is a cyclophane bridged by three β-diketiminate arms) was characterized by X-ray crystallography. (1) H NMR spectra of the protonolysis product of 2 synthesized under (14) N2 and (15) N2 confirm atmospheric N2 reduction, and ammonia is detected by the indophenol assay (yield ∼30 %). IR and Mössbauer spectroscopy, and elemental analysis on 2 and 2-1 as well as the tri(amido)triiron(II) 3 and tri(methoxo)triiron 4 congeners support our assignment of the reduction product as containing protonated N-atom bridges.

The designed [3M-3(μ-H)] clusters (M = Fe(II), Co(II)) Fe3H3L (1-H) and Co3H3L (2-H) [where L(3-) is a tris(β-diketiminate) cyclophane] were synthesized by treating the corresponding M3Br3L complexes with KBEt3H. From single-crystal X-ray analysis, the hydride ligands are sterically protected by the cyclophane ligand, and these complexes selectively react with CO2 over other unsaturated substrates (e.g., CS2, Me3SiCCH, C2H2, and CH3CN). The reaction of 1-H or 2-H with CO2 at room temperature yielded Fe3(OCHO)(H)2L (1-CO2) or Co3(OCHO)(H)2L (2-CO2), respectively, which evidence the differential reactivity of the hydride ligands within these complexes. The analogous reactions at elevated temperatures revealed a distinct difference in the reactivity pattern for 2-H as compared to 1-H; Fe3(OCHO)3L (1-3CO2) was generated from 1-H, while 2-H afforded only 2-CO2.

A [3Fe-3(μ-S)](3+) cluster is reported in which each ferric center has a distorted trigonal pyramidal geometry, with an S = 1/2 ground state for the cluster and unusually anisotropic hyperfine coupling constants as determined by variable temperature magnetometry and Mössbauer spectroscopy.