Stepwise synthesis of tropone from ethyne and carbon monoxide at a di-iron centre: crystal structure of [Fe2(CO)4(µ-C6H6CO)(µ-Ph2PCH2PPh2)]

Abstract

Treatment of [Fe₂(CO)₇(µ-dppm)](dppm = Ph₂PCH₂PPh₂) with ethyne under u.v. irradiation results in the stepwise linking of one, two, and three molecules of ethyne with carbon monoxide, yielding [Fe₂(CO)₅(µ-C₂H₂CO)(µ-dppm)], [Fe₂(CO)₄(µ-C₄H₄CO)(µ-dppm)], and the tropone complex [Fe₂(CO)₄(µ-C₆H₆CO)(µ-dppm)]; the structure of the latter has been establised by X-ray diffraction.