To provide the mechanistic information of nitrogenase at a molecular level, much effort has been made to develop synthetic metal complexes that have enzyme-like reactivity. Herein we obtain an iron(II) complex binding with a tris(thiolato)phosphine ligand, [P(Ph)4][Fe(PS3″)(CH3CN)] [1; PS3″ = P(C6H3-3-Me3Si-2-S)3(3-)] that catalyzes the reduction of hydrazine, an intermediate and a substrate of nitrogenase. The substrate- and product-bound adducts, [N(Bu)4][Fe(PS3″)(N2H4)] (2) and [N(Et)4][Fe(PS3″)(NH3)] (3), respectively, are also synthesized. This work provides the feasibility that the late stage of biological nitrogen fixation can be conducted at a single iron site with a sulfur-rich ligation environment.

The redox nature of the non-oxido vanadium sulfur center is associated with several biological systems such as vanadium nitrogenase, the reduction of vanadium ion in ascidians, and the function of amavadin, which is a vanadium(IV) natural product contained in Amanita mushrooms. But the related chemistry is less explored and understood compared to oxido vanadium species due to the oxophilic character of high valent vanadium ions. Herein, we present a class of non-oxido vanadium thiolate complexes, [V(PS2″S)] (1) (PS2″S = [P(CH-3-MeSi-2-S)(CH-3-MeSi-2-SH)]), [V(PS3″)(PS2″S)] (2) (PS3″ = [P(CH-3-MeSi-2-S)]), [V(PS3″)] (3), [V(PS3″)(PS2″S)] (4), and [V(PS3*)] (5a) (PS3* = [P(CH-3-Ph-2-S)]), and study their interconversion through the redox and acid-base reactions. Complex 1 consists of a six-coordinate octahedral vanadium center; complexes 2 and 4 are seven-coordinate with distorted capped trigonal prismatic geometry. Vanadium centers of 3 and 5a are both eight-coordinate; the former adopts ideal dodecahedral geometry, but the latter is better viewed as a distorted square antiprism. Complex 1 is oxidized to complex 2 and then to complex 3 with dioxygen. Each one-electron oxidation process is accompanied by the deprotonation of unbound thiol to bound thiolate. Complex 3 is also produced from complex 2 through stepwise addition of Fe(Cp)/n-BuLi, or in the reverse order. The formation of 2 from 3 is achieved in the order of adding Co(Cp) and acid or, as with the previous complex, inversely. Notably, the reduction of complex 2 to complex 1 accompanying the protonation of bound thiolate to unbound thiol only occurs with the presence of both Co(Cp) and acid, indicating a cooperative effect between the metal-centered reduction and bound thiolate protonation. The conversions among these complexes are observed with ESI-MS and UV-vis-NIR spectroscopies. The work demonstrates two-electron redox interconversion in these complexes mediated by transformations between unbound thiol and bound thiolate.

A six-coordinate oxovanadium(V) thiolate complex and an eight-coordinate non-oxovanadium thiolate complex, [PPh(4)][VO(PS3'')(OCH(3))] (1) and [NEt(4)][V(PS3'')(2)] (2) (PS3'' = P(C(6)H(3)-3-Me(3)Si-2-S)(3)(3-)), respectively, have been isolated and structurally characterized. The former belongs to a limited collection of oxovanadium(V) thiolate complexes. The latter has an unusual coordination number of eight. More importantly, its consensus electronic structure derived from its spectroscopic data should be considered as the resonance forms of V(V)-thiolate and V(IV)-thiyl radical species. This implies that V(IV)-thiyl radical can maintain a stable presence in biological systems.

The reactions of VVO(O‐iPr)3 with [PS3′]H3 and [PS3]H3 {[PS3′]H3 = P(C6H3‐5‐Me‐2‐SH)3, [PS3]H3 = P(C6H4‐2‐SH)3} led to the formation of [VIV(L)] [L = P2S4′ (1a), P2S4 (1b)], where L was formed by the oxidative coupling of two PS3′ or PS3 ligands by a disulfide bond. When the reaction of VVO(O‐iPr)3 with [PS3′]H3 was conducted in the presence of methoxide followed by the addition of a cation, [VIV(PS3′)(PS2SMe′)]X [X = N(C2H5)4 (2a), N(C2H5)3(CH2Ph) (2b)] was isolated, where PS2SMe′ is a bis(benzenethiolato)phenylmethylthioetherphosphane ligand generated from the methylation of one thiolate group in PS3′. The structures of complexes 1a,b and 2a,b, determined by X‐ray crystallography, contain six‐ and seven‐coordinate non‐oxo vanadium(IV) centers, respectively, with an octahedral geometry for 1a,b and a pentagonal‐bipyramidal geometry for 2a,b. The electronic, magnetic, and electrochemical properties of these complexes were determined by UV/Vis and EPR spectroscopy, SQUID measurements, and cyclic voltammetry. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)

Two mononuclear nonheme Fe(III) complexes, [PPh4][Fe(III)(PS3″)(OCH3)] (1) and [PPh4][Fe(III)(PS3″)(Cl)] (2), supported by a tris(benzenethiolato)phosphine derivative PS3″ (PS3″ = P(C6H3-3-Me3Si-2-S)3(3-)) have been synthesized and characterized. The structures resolved from X-ray crystallography show that Fe(III) centers in both complexes adopt distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry with a methoxide or a chloride binding in the axial position. The magnetic data for both are consistent with intermediate-spin Fe(III) centers with a C3 symmetry (S = 3/2 ground state). The bound methoxide in 1 is labile and can be replaced by a CH3CN molecule. The forming Fe(III)-CH3CN species can be further reduced by cobaltcene quantitatively to a stable Fe(II)-CH3CN complex, [Fe(PS3″)(CH3CN)](-). One-electron oxidation of 2 by ferrocenium gave a Fe(IV) analogue, [Fe(IV)(PS3″)(Cl)]. Importantly, the Fe(III)-OCH3 moiety in complex 1 acts as a strong nucleophile that activates the C-Cl bond in CH2Cl2, leading to the formation of complex 2 quantitatively. Complex 1 also reacts with other electrophiles, benzyl chloride and benzyl bromide, to generate Fe(III)-X species (X = Cl or Br). The reactions were investigated and monitored by UV-vis-NIR, NMR, and ESI-MS spectroscopies.

A V(III) thiolate complex activated C-Cl bond in dichloromethane via S-based nucleophilic attack. The reaction products, a V(III)-Cl species (major one) and a V(IV) binding to a CH(2) containing ligand (minor one) were obtained. The work demonstrates sulfur donors in the early-transition metal thiolates having strong nucleophilic characteristics.

The reaction of [V(PS3")] (1) (PS3"=[P(C H -3-Me Si-2-S) ] ) with H O led to the formation of [V (PS3")(PS2"S )] (2) (PS2"S =[P(C H -3-Me Si-2-S) (C H -3-Me Si-2-SH)] ), indicating a hydrogen atom transfer from H O to a bound thiolate in 1. Furthermore, the reaction of 1 with CH OH gave the generation of complexes 2 and 3, [V (PS3")(PS2"S )] (PS2"S =[P(C H -3-Me Si-2-S) (C H -3-Me Si-2-SCH )] ), implying that C-O and O-H bonds are cleaved by 1. Quantum mechanical calculations were performed to provide the mechanistic understanding for the reactivity of 1 with water. A key transition state with a lower kinetic barrier is identified. It involves an O-H bond cleavage by a dissociated thiyl radical with an interaction between an OH group and a neighboring bound sulfur donor. To our knowledge, the reactivity of 1 represents a new mode for water activation conducted through cooperation between a metal-stabilized thiyl radical and a neighboring thiolato donor.

In our effort to study vanadium chalcogenide chemistry, we have synthesized and characterized a class of non-oxido divanadium(IV) and divanadium(V) complexes with chalcogenide and dichalcogenide as bridges. All structures consist of a similar divanadium motif, in which two metal centers are bridged by one μ-chalcogenide and one μ-η(2):η(2)-dichalcogenide, forming a V2(μ-E)(μ-η(2):η(2)-E2) (E = S or Se) core structure. These compounds are [V(IV)2(PS3)2(μ-Se2)(μ-Se)][PPh4]2 (1), [V(V)2(PS3'')2(μ-Se2)(μ-Se)] (2), [V(V)2(PS3'')2(μ-S2)(μ-S)] (3a) and [V(V)2(PS3)2(μ-S2)(μ-S)] (3b) ([PS3](3-) = P(C6H4-2-S)3 and [PS3''](3-) = P(C6H3-3-SiMe3-2-S)3). Compound 1 exhibits diamagnetic behavior, indicating strong antiferromagnetic coupling between two d(1) centers. Compounds 2 and 3a-b have the highest oxidation states for vanadium ions (+5/+5) among those reported divanadium chalcogenide clusters. The work demonstrates that high-valent divanadium chalcogenide clusters can be obtained with the activation of elemental chalcogens by low-valent vanadium ions.