The geometries and energies of mononuclear
and binuclear octafluorocyclohexadiene
iron carbonyl derivatives have been studied using density functional
theory. The lowest energy C6F8Fe(CO)3 tricarbonyl structure is the octafluoro-1,3-cyclohexadiene derivative
known experimentally. Isomeric structures containing the other two
possible C6F8 hexagon ligands lie at higher
energies. Unprecedented oxidative addition involving fluorine migration
from carbon to iron is theoretically predicted in the C6F8Fe(CO)4 tetracarbonyl systems to give low-energy
C6F7Fe(CO)4F structures. A similar
energetically favored fluorine migration, also from carbon to iron,
converts the coordinatively unsaturated (η4-C6F8)Fe(CO)2 dicarbonyl complex to the
coordinatively saturated heptafluorocyclohexadienyl complex (η5-C6F7)Fe(CO)2F. For C6F8Fe2(CO)8, trans isomers
with two Fe(CO)4 moieties on opposite sides of the C6F8 ring coordinated to CC bonds are the
lowest energy structures. These are similar to the experimentally
known hexafluorocyclopentadiene complex C5F6[Fe(CO)4]2. The corresponding cis isomers with
the Fe(CO)4 moieties on the same size of the C6F8 ring are high-energy structures, possibly a consequence
of the steric hindrance between the two closely spaced Fe(CO)4 moieties. The low-energy C6F8Fe2(CO)7 structures may be viewed as the substitution
products of the experimentally known Fe2(CO)9, with the two carbonyl groups replaced by a terminal or bridging
C6F8 ligand donating four electrons to one or
both iron atoms of the central Fe2 unit. The low-energy
singlet structures in the unsaturated C6F8Fe2(CO)6 system have C6F8 ligands
donating electrons to the central Fe2 system not only through
Fe–C bonds but also through F→Fe dative bonds involving
fluorine lone pairs.