Synthesis and Catalytic Reactivity of Bis(molybdenum-trihalide) Complexes Bridged by Ferrocene Skeleton toward Catalytic Nitrogen Fixation

Bis­(molybdenum-trihalide)
complexes bearing PNP-type pincer ligand
bridged by ferrocene skeleton are synthesized and characterized by
X-ray analysis. Ferrocene-linked bis­(molybdenum-trihalide) complexes
have a lower catalytic activity than do the corresponding mononuclear
molybdenum trihalide complexes under the same reaction conditions.
The cyclic voltammetry of ferrocene-linked bis­(molybdenum-trichloride)
complex shows an electronic interaction between the molybdenum and
iron centers, but no electronic interaction between the two molybdenum
centers is observed in the ferrocene-linked bis­(molybdenum-trichloride)
complex. Density functional theory calculations indicate no formation
of an intramolecular dinitrogen-bridged dimolybdenum structure in
the ferrocene-linked bismolybdenum complexes bearing PNP-type pincer
ligands.