Synthesis and structure of analogues for the Ni-Fe site in hydrogenase enzymes.

Dithiolate bridging Ni-Fe complexes [(dppe)Ni(II)(mu-SEt)(2)Fe(II)(CN)(2)(CO)(2)](6) and [(dppe)Ni(II)(mu-pdt)Fe(II)(CN)(2)(CO)(2)] [dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane and pdt = 1,3-propanedithiolate] have been synthesized and structurally characterized as structural analogues of the active site of Ni-Fe hydrogenase enzymes. The synthesis starts from key intermediate fac-[Fe(CN)(2)(CO)(3)I](-). [(dppe)Ni(II)(mu-SEt)(2)Fe(II)(CN)(2)(CO)(2)](6), which features a near-planar diethanethiolate-bridged Ni-Fe rhomb, and the arrangement of 2CN(-) ligands is cis to each other.