Tripodal benzimidazolate complexes of tricarbonylmolybdenum(0) and of iron(III)

Abstract

The reactions of the tripodal ligands N,N-bis(benzimidazol-2-ylmethyl)amine (L¹), N,N-bis(benzimidazol-2-ylmethyl)methylamine (L²), and N,N-bis(1 -methylbenzimidazol-2-ylmethyl)-methylamine (L³) with molybdenum hexacarbonyl and tris(acetonitrile)tricarbonylmolybdenum to give (benzimidazolato)tricarbonylmolybdenum complexes, and of L¹ and L³ with iron(III) salts to give di-iron(III) complexes containing the [Fe₂(µ-O)(µ-RCO₂)₂]²⁺ core are described. The application of the molybdenum complexes as i.r. spectroscopic probes for the ligand bands in the dinuclear species is reported, together with the mass spectra and electronic spectra of the di-iron(III) species. The di-iron(III) complexes show an ability to undergo carboxylate exchange reactions.