Structural studies on an iron(III) complex containing (Z)-2-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl)-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-(hydroxyimino)acetamide, a model compound for a cephalosporin antibiotic Cefdinir

Abstract

(Z)-2-(2-Aminothiazol-4-yl)-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-(hydroxyimino)acetamide (HL) has been employed as a model compound for a cephalosporin antibiotic, Cefdinir. A trinuclear iron(III) complex [Fe₃L₆]Cl[OH]₂1 has been obtained from a methanol solution containing HL and FeCl₃ and its structure determined by X-ray crystallography: monoclinic, space group P2₁/n, a= 15.559(1), b= 19.295(2), c= 10.963(1)Å, β= 101.29(1)°, Z= 2. The molecular structure contains a linear Fe(1)–Fe(2)–Fe(1′) arrangement, the central atom Fe(2) being an inversion centre. Atom Fe(1) is co-ordinated to three molecules of L through the thiazole and oximate nitrogen atoms to form Fe(1)L₃, and Fe(2) to six oximate oxygen atoms of the two Fe(1)L₃ units. The two Fe(1)L₃ units are bridged by the central iron atom Fe(2). The Mössbauer spectrum of 1 gave an apparent doublet signal consisting of two doublets, A and B, assigned to Fe(1) and Fe(2), respectively. The isomer shifts δ of these doublets are the same (0.26 mm s^–1), and are typical for high-spin iron(III). In addition, the reflectance spectrum did not show any intervalence bands. These spectral data indicate that the three iron atoms are high-spin iron(III). The compound co-ordinates to iron(III)via the thiazole ring nitrogen atom and the oximate nitrogen atom (2N mode) in methanol which is different from that in water, where L prefers to co-ordinate to an iron(III) through the oximate oxygen atom and the amide oxygen atom (2O mode).