Catalytic Hydrogen Evolution from Mononuclear Iron(II) Carbonyl Complexes as Minimal Functional Models of the [FeFe] Hydrogenase Active Site

How much iron does it take? Mononuclear complexes [FeII(3,6-R2bdt)(CO)2(PMe3)2] (bdt=1,2-C6H4(S−)2; R=H, Cl) can be reversibly protonated at the sulfur ligands, can catalyze the electrochemical reduction of protons, and are thus minimal functional models of the [FeFe] hydrogenases (see scheme). DFT calculations show that cleavage of an FeS bond leads to the generation of a free coordination site, which is crucial for the formation of hydrides that are key intermediates in the generation of hydrogen.