Studies on the Activation and Hydrosilylation Catalysis of RhCl(BuS).

RhCl(BuS) is an industrial precatalyst utilized in the curing of some solventless silicone-release coatings formulations. The catalyst requires no additional inhibitor, in contrast to typical Pt formulations, and so questions arose about how fast the catalyst could trigger curing if it were used in a more activated form. Studies on the activation of RhCl(BuS) revealed multiple intermediates, of which [RhCl(BuS)] and [RhHCl(SiMe(OSiMe)) (BuS)] were isolated.

Reaction of Aryl Diazonium Salts and Diiron(I) Dithiolato Carbonyls: Evidence for Radical Intermediates.

Treatment of Fe(2)(pdt)(CO)(4)(dppv) (1) with aryldiazonium salts affords the 34e(-) adducts [Fe(2)(pdt)(μ-N(2)Ar)(CO)(4)(dppv)](+) (pdt(2-) = 1,3-propanedithiolate, dppv = cis-C(2)H(2)(PPh(2))(2)). Under some conditions, the same reaction gave substantial amounts of [1](+), the product of electron-transfer. Consistent with the influence of electron transfer in the reactions of some electrophiles with Fe(I)Fe(I) dithiolates, the reaction of [Me(3)S(2)](+) and Fe(2)(pdt)(CO)(4)(dppbz) was found to give [Fe(2)(pdt)(CO)(4)(dppbz)](+) as well as Me(2)S and Me(2)S(2) (dppbz = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)benzene).

EPR/ENDOR, Mössbauer, and quantum-chemical investigations of diiron complexes mimicking the active oxidized state of [FeFe]hydrogenase.

Understanding the catalytic process of the heterolytic splitting and formation of molecular hydrogen is one of the key topics for the development of a future hydrogen economy. With an interest in elucidating the enzymatic mechanism of the [Fe(2)(S(2)C(2)H(4)NH)(CN)(2)(CO)(2)(μ-CO)] active center uniquely found in [FeFe]hydrogenases, we present a detailed spectroscopic and theoretical analysis of its inorganic model [Fe(2)(S(2)X)(CO)(3)(dppv)(PMe(3))](+) [dppv = cis-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethylene] in two forms with S(2)X = ethanedithiolate (1edt) and azadithiolate (1adt). These complexes represent models for the oxidized mixed-valent Fe(I)Fe(II) state analogous to the active oxidized "H(ox)" state of the native H-cluster.

Stereochemistry of electrophilic attack at 34e⁻ dimetallic complexes: the case of diiron dithiolato carbonyls + MeS⁺.

Experimental and computational experiments show that the electrophile MeS(+) attacks a single Fe center in Fe(2)(propanedithiolate)(CO)(4)(PMe(3))(2) followed by isomerization of this terminal thiolato complex to the corresponding μ-SMe derivative.

Role of the azadithiolate cofactor in models for [FeFe]-hydrogenase: novel structures and catalytic implications.

This paper summarizes studies on the redox behavior of synthetic models for the [FeFe]-hydrogenases, consisting of diiron dithiolato carbonyl complexes bearing the amine cofactor and its N-benzyl derivative. Of specific interest are the causes of the low reactivity of oxidized models toward H(2), which contrasts with the high activity of these enzymes for H(2) oxidation. The redox and acid-base properties of the model complexes [Fe(2)[(SCH(2))(2)NR](CO)(3)(dppv)(PMe(3))](+) ([2](+) for R = H and [2'](+) for R = CH(2)C(6)H(5), dppv = cis-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethylene)) indicate that addition of H(2) followed by deprotonation are (i) endothermic for the mixed valence (Fe(II)Fe(I)) state and (ii) exothermic for the diferrous (Fe(II)Fe(II)) state.

Artificial hydrogenases.

Decades of biophysical study on the hydrogenase (H(2)ase) enzymes have yielded sufficient information to guide the synthesis of analogs of their active sites. Three families of enzymes serve as inspiration for this work: the [FeFe]-H(2)ases, [NiFe]-H(2)ases, and [Fe]-H(2)ases, all of which feature iron centers bound to both CO and thiolate. Artificial H(2)ases affect the oxidation of H(2) and the reverse reaction, the reduction of protons.

Hydrogen activation by biomimetic diiron dithiolates.

Using the thermally stable salts of [Fe(2)(SR)(2)(CO)(3)(PMe(3))(dppv)]BAr(F)(4), we found that the azadithiolates [Fe(2)(adtR)(CO)(3)(PMe(3))(dppv)](+) react with high pressures of H(2) to give the hydride [Fe(2)(mu-H)(adtR)(CO)(3)(dppv)(PMe(3))]BAr(F)(4). The related oxadithiolate and propanedithiolate complexes are unreactive toward H(2). Molecular hydrogen is proposed to undergo heterolysis assisted by the amine followed by isomerization of an initially formed terminal hydride.

Aza- and oxadithiolates are probable proton relays in functional models for the [FeFe]-hydrogenases.

The dithiolate cofactor for the [FeFe]-hydrogenase models, Fe(2)(xdt)(CO)(2)(dppv)(2) (where xdt = 1,3-propanedithiolate (pdt), azadithiolate (adt), (SCH(2))(2)NH, and oxadithiolate (odt), (SCH(2))(2)O; dppv = cis-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethylene) have been probed for their functionality as proton relays enabling formation and deprotonation of terminal hydrides. Compared to the propanedithiolate derivative, the azadithiolate and oxaditiholate show enhanced rates of proton transfer between solution and the terminal site on one Fe center. The results are consistent with the heteroatom of the dithiolate serving a gating role for both protonation and deprotonation.

New nitrosyl derivatives of diiron dithiolates related to the active site of the [FeFe]-hydrogenases.

Nitrosyl derivatives of diiron dithiolato carbonyls have been prepared starting from the precursor Fe(2)(S(2)C(n)H(2n))(dppv)(CO)(4) (dppv = cis-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphinoethylene). These studies expand the range of substituted diiron(I) dithiolato carbonyl complexes. From [Fe(2)(S(2)C(2)H(4))(CO)(3)(dppv)(NO)]BF(4) ([1(CO)(3)]BF(4)), the following compounds were prepared: [1(CO)(2)(PMe(3))]BF(4), [1(CO)(dppv)]BF(4), NEt(4)[1(CO)(CN)(2)], and 1(CO)(CN)(PMe(3)).

Nitrosyl derivatives of diiron(I) dithiolates mimic the structure and Lewis acidity of the [FeFe]-hydrogenase active site.

This study probes the impact of electronic asymmetry of diiron(I) dithiolato carbonyls. Treatment of Fe2(S2C(n)H(2n))(CO)(6-x)(PMe3)x compounds (n = 2, 3; x = 1, 2, 3) with NOBF4 gave the derivatives [Fe2(S2C(n)H(2n))(CO)(5-x)(PMe3)x(NO)]BF4, which are electronically unsymmetrical because of the presence of a single NO(+) ligand. Whereas the monophosphine derivative is largely undistorted, the bis(PMe3) derivatives are distorted such that the CO ligand on the Fe(CO)(PMe3)(NO)(+) subunit is semibridging.