Decarbonylation Products of Binuclear Methylphosphinidene Complexes of Cyclopentadienyliron Carbonyls: Triplet and Quintet Structures Are Favored Energetically over Singlet Structures with Iron-Iron Multiple Bonding

Abstract

The structures, energetics, and energetically preferred spin states of methylphosphinidene-bridged binuclear cyclopentadienyliron carbonyl complexes MePFe₂(CO)_nCp₂ (n = 4, 3, 2, and 1) related to the experimentally known (μ-RP)Fe₂(μ-CO)(CO)₂Cp₂ (R = cyclohexyl, phenyl, mesityl, and 2,4,6-tBu₃C₆H₂) complexes have been investigated by density functional theory. Singlet structures having a pyramidal pseudotetrahedral phosphorus environment with 18-electron iron configurations are energetically preferred in the tricarbonyl and tetracarbonyl systems MePFe₂(CO)_nCp₂ (n = 4 and 3) with the lowest energy structures of the tricarbonyl very closely resembling the experimentally determined structures. For the more unsaturated dicarbonyl and monocarbonyl systems MePFe₂(CO)_nCp₂ (n = 2 and 1), higher spin state triplet and quintet structures are energetically preferred over singlet structures. These more highly unsaturated structures can be derived from the lowest energy singlet MePFe₂(CO)_nCp₂ (n = 4, 3) by the removal of carbonyl groups. The iron atoms giving up carbonyl groups in their 16- and 14-electron configurations bear the spin density of the unpaired electrons in the higher spin states. The lowest energy singlet structure of the monocarbonyl MePFe₂(CO)Cp₂, although a relatively high energy isomer, is unusual among the collection of MePFe₂(CO)_nCp₂ (n = 4, 3, 2, and 1) structures by having both the formal Fe=Fe double bond and the four-electron donor MeP unit with the planar phosphorus coordination required to allow each of its iron atoms to attain the favored 18-electron configuration.