Ring-strain effects on the oxidation potential of enediynes and enediyne complexes.

The metal-enediyne complexes [(eta 5-C5H5)Fe[eta 5-1,2-C5H3C identical to C(CH2)nC identical to]] (4, n = 4; 5, n = 5) and [(eta 5-C5H5)-Fe[eta 5-1,2-C5H3(C identical to C Me)2]] (6) were prepared from 1,2-diethynylferrocene (3). Complexes 4 and 5 were characterized in the solid state by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The structures of 4 and 6 were determined by computation using ab initio methods.