Synthesis and Electronic Structure of Cationic, Neutral, and Anionic Bis(imino)pyridine Iron Alkyl Complexes: Evaluation of Redox Activity in Single-Component Ethylene Polymerization Catalysts

A family of cationic, neutral, and anionic bis(imino)pyridine iron alkyl complexes has been prepared, and their electronic and molecular structures have been established by a combination of X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, magnetochemistry, and open-shell density functional theory. For the cationic complexes, [(iPrPDI)Fe-R][BPh4] (iPrPDI = 2,6-(2,6-iPr2-C6H3NCMe)2C5H3N; R = CH2SiMe3, CH2CMe3, or CH3), which are known single-component ethylene polymerization catalysts, the data establish high spin ferrous compounds (SFe = 2) with neutral, redox-innocent bis(imino)pyridine chelates. One-electron reduction to the corresponding neutral alkyls, (iPrPDI)Fe(CH2SiMe3) or (iPrPDI)Fe(CH2CMe3), is chelate-based, resulting in a bis(imino)pyridine radical anion (SPDI = 1/2) antiferromagnetically coupled to a high spin ferrous ion (SFe = 2). The neutral neopentyl derivative was reduced by an additional electron and furnished the corresponding anion, [Li(Et2O)3][(iPrPDI)Fe(CH2CMe3)N2], with concomitant coordination of dinitrogen. The experimental and computational data establish that this S = 0 compound is best described as a low spin ferrous compound (SFe = 0) with a closed-shell singlet bis(imino)pyridine dianion (SPDI = 0), demonstrating that the reduction is ligand-based. The change in field strength of the bis(imino)pyridine coupled with the placement of the alkyl ligand into the apical position of the molecule induced a spin state change at the iron center from high to low spin. The relevance of the compounds and their electronic structures to olefin polymerization catalysis is also presented.