Cleavage of an aryl carbon–nitrogen bond of a phosphazido iron(ii) complex promoted by hydride metathesis

Abstract

Upon reaction with KBEt₃H, the pseudo tetrahedral Fe(II) complex 5 with a bulky enamido-phosphazide ligand set undergoes elimination of N₂ and 1,3-Me₂C₆H₄ to generate the dinuclear Fe(II) derivative 6 with bridging phosphinimido units. When the reaction is performed using KBEt₃D, no deuterium is incorporated into the eliminated 1,3-Me₂C₆H₄; all of the deuterium ends up as D₂. When the reaction is performed in THF-d₈, only 2-d-1,3-Me₂C₆H₃D was detected by GCMS. These studies are consistent with a radical mechanism.