Triiron dodecarbonyl is the
chemical compoundA chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
with the
formulaA chemical formula or molecular formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound....
Fe
3(CO)
12. It was one of the first
metal carbonylMetal carbonyls are coordination complexes of transition metals with carbon monoxide ligands. These complexes may be homoleptic, that is containing only CO ligands, such as nickel carbonyl , but more commonly metal carbonyls contain a mix of ligands, such as Re3Cl...
clusterIn chemistry, a cluster is an ensemble of bound atoms intermediate in size between a molecule and a bulk solid. Clusters exist of diverse stoichiometries and nuclearities. For example, carbon and boron atoms form fullerene and borane clusters, respectively. Transition metals and main group...
s synthesized. It is a more reactive source of iron(0) than is
iron pentacarbonylIron pentacarbonyl, also known as iron carbonyl, is the compound with formula 5. Under standard conditions Fe5 is a free-flowing, straw-colored liquid with a pungent odour. This compound is a common precursor to diverse iron compounds, including many that are useful in organic synthesis. Fe5 is...
.
General properties
Fe
3(CO)
12 is a dark green solid, which sublimes under vacuum, albeit with significant decomposition. It is soluble in nonpolar organic solvents to give intensely green solutions. Most low nuclearity clusters are pale yellow or orange. Hot solutions of Fe
3(CO)
12 decompose to an iron mirror, which can be pyrophoric in air. The solid decomposes slowly in air, and thus samples are typically stored cold under an inert atmosphere.
Synthesis
It was occasionally obtained from the thermolysis of
Fe(CO)5Iron pentacarbonyl, also known as iron carbonyl, is the compound with formula 5. Under standard conditions Fe5 is a free-flowing, straw-colored liquid with a pungent odour. This compound is a common precursor to diverse iron compounds, including many that are useful in organic synthesis. Fe5 is...
:
- 3 Fe(CO)5 → Fe3(CO)12 + 3 CO
Traces of the compound are easily detected because of its characteristic deep green colour. UV-photolysis of Fe(CO)
5 produces
Fe2(CO)9Diiron nonacarbonyl is an inorganic compound with the formula Fe29. This metal carbonyl is an important reagent in organometallic chemistry and of occasional use in organic synthesis. It is a more reactive source of Fe than Fe5 and less dangerous to handle because it is nonvolatile...
, not Fe
3(CO)
12.
An efficient synthesis of Fe
3(CO)
12 proceeds via the reaction of Fe(CO)
5 with base:
- 3 Fe(CO)5 + (C2H5)3N
Triethylamine is the chemical compound with the formula N3, commonly abbreviated Et3N. It is also abbreviated TEA, yet this abbreviation must be used carefully to avoid confusion with triethanolamine, for which TEA is also a common abbreviation....
+ H2O → [(C2H5)3NH][HFe3(CO)11] + 3 CO + CO2
followed by oxidation of the resulting
hydrideIn chemistry, a hydride is the anion of hydrogen, H−, or, more commonly, a compound in which one or more hydrogen centres have nucleophilic, reducing, or basic properties. In compounds that are regarded as hydrides, hydrogen is bonded to a more electropositive element or group...
with acid:
- [(C2H5)3NH][HFe3(CO)11] + HCl + CO → Fe3(CO)12 + H2 + [(C2H5)3NH]Cl
The original synthesis, by
Walter HieberWalter Hieber was an inorganic chemist, known as the father of metal carbonyl chemistry. He was born 18 December, 1895 and died 29 November, 1976. Hieber's father was Johannes Hieber, an influential evangelical minister and politician....
, entailed the reaction of H
2Fe(CO)
4 with MnO
2. The cluster was formulated merely as "Fe(CO)
4".
Structure
Fe
3(CO)
12 consists of a triangle of iron atoms surrounded by 12 CO ligands. Ten of the CO ligands are terminal and two span an Fe---Fe edge, resulting in C
2v point group symmetryMolecular symmetry in chemistry describes the symmetry present in molecules and the classification of molecules according to their symmetry. Molecular symmetry is a fundamental concept in chemistry, as it can predict or explain many of a molecule's chemical properties, such as its dipole moment...
. By contrast,
Ru3(CO)12Triruthenium dodecacarbonyl is the chemical compound with the formula Ru312. This orange-colored metal carbonyl cluster is a precursor to other organoruthenium compounds.-Structure and synthesis:...
and
Os3(CO)12Triosmium dodecacarbonyl is a chemical compound with the formula Os312. This yellow-colored metal carbonyl cluster is an important precursor to organo-osmium compounds...
adopt D
3h-symmetric structures, wherein all 12 CO ligands are terminally bound to the metals. Overall, it can be appreciated that these three clusters formally arise from condensation of three 16-electron M(CO)
4 fragments, akin to the condensation of
CH2Methylene is a chemical species in which a carbon atom is bonded to two hydrogen atoms. Three different possibilities present themselves:* the -CH2- substituent group: e.g., dichloromethane ....
units into
cyclopropaneCyclopropane is a cycloalkane molecule with the molecular formula C3H6, consisting of three carbon atoms linked to each other to form a ring, with each carbon atom bearing two hydrogen atoms...
.
Elucidation of the structure of Fe
3(CO)
12 proved to be challenging because the CO ligands are disordered in the crystals. Early evidence for its distinctive C
2v structure came from
Mössbauer spectroscopicThe Mössbauer effect, or recoilless nuclear resonance fluorescence, is a physical phenomenon discovered by Rudolf Mössbauer in 1958. It involves the resonant and recoil-free emission and absorption of γ radiation by atomic nuclei bound in a solid...
measurements that revealed two quadrupole doublets with similar isomer shifts but different (1.13 and 0.13 mm s
-1) quadrupolar coupling constants.
The anion [HFe
3(CO)
11]
- is structurally related to Fe
3(CO)
12, with the
hydrideIn chemistry, a hydride is the anion of hydrogen, H−, or, more commonly, a compound in which one or more hydrogen centres have nucleophilic, reducing, or basic properties. In compounds that are regarded as hydrides, hydrogen is bonded to a more electropositive element or group...
replacing one bridging CO ligand. The bonding in the Fe-H-Fe subunit is described using concepts developed for
diboraneDiborane is the chemical compound consisting of boron and hydrogen with the formula B2H6. It is a colorless gas at room temperature with a repulsively sweet odor. Diborane mixes well with air, easily forming explosive mixtures. Diborane will ignite spontaneously in moist air at room temperature...
.
Reactions
Like most metal carbonyls, Fe
3(CO)
12 undergoes substitution reactions, making, for example, Fe
3(CO)
11{P(C
6H
5)
3} upon reaction with
triphenylphosphineTriphenylphosphine is a common organophosphorus compound with the formula P3 - often abbreviated to PPh3 or Ph3P. It is widely used in the synthesis of organic and organometallic compounds. PPh3 exists as relatively air stable, colorless crystals at room temperature...
.
Heating Fe
3(CO)
12 gives a low-yield of the carbido cluster Fe
5(CO)
15C. Such reactions proceed via
disproportionationDisproportionation, also known as dismutation is used to describe a specific type of redox reaction in which a species is simultaneously reduced and oxidized so as to form two different products....
of CO to give
CO2Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
and
carbonCarbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
.
Fe
3(CO)
12 reacts with
1,3-Propanedithiol1,3-Propanedithiol is the chemical compound with the formula HSCH2CH2CH2SH. This dithiol is a useful reagent in organic synthesis. This liquid, which is readily available commercially, has an intense stench.-Use in organic synthesis:...
to form air-stable µ-(1,3-Propanedithiolato)-hexacarbonyldiiron in which both
thiolIn organic chemistry, a thiol is an organosulfur compound that contains a carbon-bonded sulfhydryl group...
sulfur atoms form a bridge between two iron atoms. This compound is a model compound for certain all-iron
hydrogenaseA hydrogenase is an enzyme that catalyses the reversible oxidation of molecular hydrogen . Hydrogenases play a vital role in anaerobic metabolism....
s.
Safety
Fe
3(CO)
12 is hazardous as a source of volatile iron and, like all metal carbonyls, as a source of carbon monoxide. Solid samples, especially when finely divided, and residues from reactions can be pyrophoric, which can ignite the organic solvents used for such reactions.