Selective reduction and homologation of carbon monoxide by organometallic iron complexes

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06242-w
• Publication Date: 2018-09-10T10:07:37Z
• Authors: Helen R. Sharpe; Ana M. Geer; Laurence J. Taylor; Benjamin M. Gridley; Toby J. Blundell; Alexander J. Blake; E. Stephen Davies; William Lewis; Jonathan McMaster; David Robinson; Deborah L. Kays
• Keywords: Cleave; Bond cleavage; Carbon fibers

Carbon monoxide is a key C1 feedstock for the industrial production of hydrocarbons, where it used to make millions tonnes chemicals, fuels, and solvents per annum. Many transition metal complexes can coordinate CO, but formation new C-C bonds in well-defined compounds from scission subsequent coupling two or more CO moieties at centre remains challenge. Herein, we report use low-coordinate iron(II) selective homologation affording unusual squaraines iron carboxylates ambient temperature pressure. A modification ligand framework allows isolation structural characterisation proposed metallacyclic Fe(II) carbene intermediate. These results indicate that, with appropriate choice supporting ligands, possible cleave homologate carbon under mild conditions using an abundant environmentally benign low-coordinate, first row metal.