Cyclobutadieneiron tricarbonyl is an organoiron compound with the formula Fe(C4H4)(CO)3. It is a yellow oil that is soluble in organic solvents. It has been used in organic chemistry as a precursor for cyclobutadiene, which is an elusive species in the free state.
Preparation and structure Cyclobutadieneiron tricarbonyl was first prepared in 1965 by Pettit from 3,4-dichlorocyclobutene and diiron nonacarbonyl:Cyclobutadiene- and Benzocyclobutadiene-Iron Tricarbonyl Complexes G. F. Emerson, L. Watts, R. Pettit; J. Am. Chem. Soc.; 1965; 87(1); 131-133. C4H4Cl2 + 2 Fe2(CO)9 → (C4H4)Fe(CO)3 + 2 Fe(CO)5 + 5 CO + FeCl2 The compound is an example of a piano stool complex. The C-C distances are 1.426 Å.
Properties Oxidative decomplexation of cyclobutadiene is achieved by treating the tricarbonyl complex with ceric ammonium nitrate. The released cyclobutadiene is trapped with a quinone, which functions as a dienophile.
Cyclobutadieneiron tricarbonyl displays aromaticity as evidenced by some of its reactions, which can be classified as electrophilic aromatic substitution:Cyclobutadieneiron Tricarbonyl. A New Aromatic System J. D. Fitzpatrick, L. Watts, G. F. Emerson, R. Pettit J. Am. Chem. Soc.; 1965, vol. 87, 3254-3255
It undergoes Friedel-Crafts acylation with acetyl chloride and aluminium chloride to give the acyl derivative 2, with formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid to the chloromethyl derivative 3, in a Vilsmeier-Haack reaction with N-methylformanilide and phosphorus oxychloride to the formyl 4, and in a Mannich reaction to amine derivative 5.
The reaction mechanism is identical to that of EAS:
Related compounds Several years before Petit's work, (C4Ph4)Fe(CO)3 had been prepared from the reaction of iron carbonyl and diphenylacetylene.R. P. Dodge, V. Schomaker, "Crystal Structure of Tetraphenylcyclobutadiene Iron Tricarbonyl", Nature 1960, vol. 186, 798-799.
(Butadiene)iron tricarbonyl is isoelectronic with cyclobutadieneiron tricarbonyl.
History In 1956, Longuet-Higgins and Orgel predicted the existence of transition-metal cyclobutadiene complexes, in which the degenerate eg orbital of cyclobutadiene has the correct symmetry for π interaction with the dxz and dyz orbitals of the proper metal. The compound was synthesized three years after the prediction This is a case of theory before experiment.
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