Six-coordinated Fe(II) complex ions [FeL3]2+ (L = en, amp, bpy, dmbpy, phen, and dmphen), prepared in a
supercage of zeolite Y, were characterized by UV−vis, XRD, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and IR. The UV−vis
spectra and XRD patterns of the zeolite encapsulating the Fe(II) complex ions show that [Fe(en)3]2+, [Fe(amp)3]2+, [Fe(bpy)3]2+, and [Fe(phen)3]2+ are formed in the zeolite supercage. The Mössbauer spectra of
[Fe(bpy)3]2+ and [Fe(phen)3]2+ in the supercage gave extraordinarily large values of the quadrupole splitting
for low-spin Fe(II) species, indicating that these complex ions in a supercage are distorted by a strong steric
interaction with the zeolite lattice. The IR spectra of [Fe(bpy)3]2+ and [Fe(phen)3]2+ in the supercage as well
as their Mössbauer results reveal that the complex ion is located in the supercage; (i) the 3-fold axis of the
complex is parallel to that of the supercage, (ii) each of the three bidentate-ligand molecules in the complex
faces to the 12-membered ring of the supercage, and (iii) the complex is twisted around its 3-fold axis toward
a trigonal prism.