Constructing Organometallic Architectures from Aminoalkylidyne Diiron Complexes

The chemistry of diiron complexes has seen a recent renaissance, due to the prominent role played by the element iron in the development of sustainable synthetic processes and the cooperative effects provided by two metal centers working in concert, that is a concept amazingly exploited by Nature. Aminoalkylidyne derivatives of [Fe2Cp2(CO)4] are a convenient scaffold to grow organic fragments; in particular, the facile removal of one CO ligand opens the doors to the unconventional assembly of molecules/ions, affording unusual structural motifs. In particular, vinyliminium complexes result from carbyne–alkyne coupling and offers the opportunity for a great variety of selective derivatization pathways, including addition of nucleophiles, access to substituted ferrocenes, deprotonation and reduction processes, and trapping of small molecules.