Synthesis, structure, and catalytic activity of mononuclear iron and (mu-Oxo)diiron complexes with the ligand 2,6-bis(N-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine.

Iron complexes including polyimidazole and exchangeable ligands are studied with the aim of modeling the structural and functional features of the non-heme iron centers of dinuclear proteins, such as methane monooxygenase. In [Fe(2)OL(2)(MeOH)(2)(NO(3))(2)](NO(3))(2) (1) (L = 2,6-bis(N-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine), each Fe(III) is in a distorted octahedral environment and has a donor set of N(3)O(3) which includes three N atoms from L and three O atoms from a nitrate, micro-oxo, and methanol. In complex [FeLCl(3)] (2) (L = 2,6-bis(N-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine), Fe(III) is coordinated to three nitrogen atoms from L and three chloride ions. Complex 1 efficiently catalyzed the oxidation of cyclohexane with 51% conversion to cyclohexanol. It also catalyzed the epoxidation of styrene, cyclohexane, 2-methyl-2-butene, and cis- and trans-2-heptene with 51-84% conversions and high selectivity (71-99%) for epoxide products. Complex 2, however, has no specific reactivity toward these substrates. From the alcohol/ketone (A/K) ratio close to 1 in the oxidation of cyclohexane, the low KIE (kinetic isotope effect K(H)/K(D) ratio = 1.8) for cyclohexanol formation, and the nonstereospecificity of the oxidation of cis-dimethylcyclohexane, it can be concluded that long-lived alkyl radicals are involved in the oxidation catalyzed by complex 1. On the other hand, the stereospecific epoxidation of alkenes, the stereoselective oxidation of cumene, and the high degree of retention of configuration in the oxidation of cis- and trans-2-heptene suggest that a nonradical species, probably a metal-based intermediate, is involved in the oxidation of alkenes and cumene.