NN Bond Cleavage by a Low-Coordinate Iron(II) Hydride Complex

Reaction of the three-coordinate complex LFeCl (L = bulky β-diketiminate) with KBEt3H gives a dark red iron(II) hydride complex. The complex is a dimer in the solid state, but spectroscopy and kinetics suggest that an orange three-coordinate monomer is in equilibrium with the dimer in solution. The double bond of azobenzene is completely cleaved by heating with the hydride complex, and a hydrazido intermediate can be isolated.