Communication revisits iron(0) complex configuration, revealing crucial insights into valence-electron theories.
In this communication, we revisit one of E. O. Fischer’s seminal discoveries to solve a textbook question: is the iron(0) complex [Fe(C 6 Me 6 ) 2 ] an 18-valence-electron complex with a ‘ring-slip’ (η 6,η 4 ) configuration like its heavier congener [Ru(C 6 Me 6 ) 2 ] or a 20-valence-electron complex with an (η 6,η 6 ) configuration like its neighbor [Co(C 6 Me 6 ) 2 ] +? Using modern single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques intertwined with density functional theory, we present the first crystallographically characterized iron(0) bis(arene) complex, [Fe(C 6 Me 6 ) 2 ], demonstrating that iron opts to violate the 18-electron rule, favouring two aromatic arene ligands.
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Oliver P. E. Townrow (2026) studied this question.
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