Synthesis and reactivity of haloacetato derivatives of iron(II) including the crystal and the molecular structure of [Fe(CF3COOH)2(μ-CF3COO)2]n

The syntheses of haloacetates of iron(II) and their reactivity are described. The compound Fe(CF3COO)(2), 1, crystallizes from CF3COOH/(CF3CO)(2)O solution as the polynuclear [Fe(CF3COO)(2)(CF3COOH)(2)](n), 2, which contains bridging trifluoroacetates and monodentate trifluoroacetic acid groups. Fe(CF3COO)(2)(DMF)(x), as obtained from Fe(CO)(5) and CF3COOH/(CF3CO)(2)O in DMF, reacts with dioxygen at room temperature to give two mu(3)-oxo compounds, namely, [Fe-3(mu(3)-O)(CF3COO)(6)(DMF)(3)], 3, a Fe-(II)-Fe-(III)-Fe-(III) derivative, and [Fe-4(mu(3)-O)(2)(mu(2)-CF3COO)(6)(CF3COO)(2)(DMF)(4)], 4, containing Fe(III) atoms only, which have been characterized by X-ray diffraction methods. Iron(II) chloro- and bromoacetates can be isolated by exchange reactions of iron(II) acetate with chloro- and bromo-substituted acetic acids in moderate to good yields. The stability of iron(II) haloacetates decreases on increasing the atomic weight and the number of halogens on the alpha-carbon atom. The species Fe(CX3COO)(2) (X = Cl, 7; Br, 8), in THF solution, slowly convert into [Fe-3(mu(3)-O)(CCl3COO)(6)(THF)(3)], 11, or [Fe-3(mu(3)-O)(CBr3COO)(6)(THF)(3)][FeBr4], 10, respectively. Likewise, when iron(II) acetate (or trifluoroacetate) is left for several hours in the presence of a variety of haloacetic acids in THF, selective formation of different species, depending on the nature of the starting compound and of the acid employed, is observed. The formation of these products is the result of C-X bond activation (X = Cl, Br) and haloacetato decomposition, which occurs with concomitant oxidation at the metal centers. Carboxylic acid degradation species (CH2XCOOH, CX4, CX3H, CX2H2, X = Cl, Br) have been observed by GC-MS.