We report the formation and full
characterization of weak adducts
between Li+ and Na+ cations and a neutral iron(0)
complex, [Fe(CO)3(PMe3)2] (1), supported by weakly coordinating [BArF
20] anions, [1·M][BArF
20] (M = Li, Na). The adducts are found to synergistically activate
aliphatic C–X bonds (X = F, Cl, Br, I, OMs, OTf), leading to
the formation of iron(II) organyl compounds of the type [FeR(CO)3(PMe3)2][BArF
20], of which several were isolated and fully characterized. Stoichiometric
reactions with the resulting iron(II) organyl compounds show that
this system can be utilized for homocoupling and cross-coupling reactions
and the formation of new C–E bonds (E = C, H, O, N, S). Further,
we utilize [1·M][BArF
20] as
a catalyst in a simple hydrodehalogenation reaction under mild conditions
to showcase its potential use in catalytic reactions. Finally, the
mechanism of activation is probed using DFT and kinetic experiments
that reveal that the alkali metal and iron(0) center cooperate to
cleave C–X via a mechanism closely related to intramolecular
FLP activation.