Pyridinediimine Iron Dicarbonyl Complexes with Pendant Lewis Bases and Lewis Acids Located in the Secondary Coordination Sphere

Abstract

Abstract A series of asymmetric iron(II) dichloride and dicarbonyl pyridinediimine (PDI) complexes that contain either pendant Lewis bases or Lewis acids located in the secondary coordination sphere were synthesized. These complexes are important intermediates in the reduction scheme of the small molecule CO 2 on iron(II). The electrochemistry of the direduced FePDI(CO) 2 complexes was evaluated for the 2‐electron oxidation from the reduced‐ligand to the neutral‐ligand species. The complexes with either pendant Lewis bases or Lewis acids located in the secondary coordination sphere displayed reduction potentials for CO release that span over 300 mV.