The Reactivity Patterns of Low-Coordinate Iron−Hydride Complexes

We report a survey of the reactivity of the first isolable iron-hydride complexes with a coordination number less than 5. The high-spin iron(II) complexes [(β-diketiminate)Fe(μ-H)]2 react rapidly with representative cyanide, isocyanide, alkyne, N2, alkene, diazene, azide, CO2, carbodiimide, and Brønsted acid containing substrates. The reaction outcomes fall into three categories: (1) addition of Fe−H across a multiple bond of the substrate, (2) reductive elimination of H2 to form iron(I) products, and (3) protonation of the hydride to form iron(II) products. The products include imide, isocyanide, vinyl, alkyl, azide, triazenido, benzo[c]cinnoline, amidinate, formate, and hydroxo complexes. These results expand the range of known bond transformations at iron complexes. Additionally, they give insight into the elementary transformations that may be possible at the iron−molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenases, which may have hydride ligands on high-spin, low-coordinate metal atoms.