Investigation of the Coordination Chemistry of a Bisamidinate Ferrocene Ligand with Cu, Ag, and Au

The coordination chemistry of a ferrocene ligand with one bulky amidinate function attached to each ring toward two different coinage metal precursors was investigated. In dependence of the metal and the co-ligands, “ansa” type structures and non-bridged structures were obtained. Six different compounds are reported. In the “ansa” type structures, short Fe–M (M = Cu, Ag) distances were observed in the molecular structures in the solid state. However, theoretical calculations (DFT) did not reveal a stabilizing metal–metal interaction. Instead, dispersion interactions within the ligand and between the ligand and metal seem to represent the main stabilization forces.