Isocyanide Substituent Influences Reductive Elimination versus Migratory Insertion in Reaction with an [Fe2(μ-H)2]2+ Complex

Iron hydrides are proposed reactive intermediates for N2 and CO conversion in industrial and biological processes. Here, we report a reactivity study of a low-coordinate di­(μ-hydrido)­diiron­(II) complex, Fe2(μ-H)2 L, where L 2– is a bis­(β-diketiminate) cyclophane, with isocyanides, which have electronic structures related to N2 and CO. The reaction outcome is influenced by the isocyanide substituent, with 2,6-xylyl isocyanide leading to H2 loss, to form a bis­(μ-1,1-isocyanide)­diiron­(I) complex, whereas all of the other tested isocyanides insert into the Fe–H bond to give (μ-1,2-iminoformyl) complexes. Steric bulk of the isocyanide substituent determines the extent of insertion (i.e., into one or both Fe–H–Fe units) with tert-butyl isocyanide reacting to yield the mono-(μ-1,2-iminoformyl)­diiron­(II) complex, exclusively, and isopropyl- and methyl isocyanides affording the bis­(μ-1,2-iminoformyl)­diiron­(II) products. Treatment of Fe2(μ-1,2-CHNtBu)­(μ-H)L with 2,6-xylyl isocyanide (or XylNC) yields Fe2(μ-XylNC)2 L and tert-butylaldimine as one of the organic products.