Protic ferrocenyl ayclic diamino carbene gold(I) complexes

Abstract

Two mononuclear protic ferrocenyl acyclic diamino carbene gold(I) complexes AuCl[C(NHFc)(NR2)] were prepared by nucleophilic attack of diethylamine (R = Et) and diisopropylamine (R = iPr) at the ferrocenyl substituted isocyanide complex chlorido(isocyanoferrocene)gold(I) AuCl(CN−Fc). In the solid state, the multifunctional protic carbene gold(I) complexes display intermolecular aurophilic interactions or intermolecular NH⋅⋅⋅Cl hydrogen bonding in addition to intramolecular non-classical NH⋅⋅⋅Fe hydrogen bonds. Oxidation of the AuCl[C(NHFc)(NR2)] complexes initially takes place at the iron centres giving highly coloured ferrocenium ions, which subsequently likely undergo electron transfer from gold(I) to iron(III) yielding putative EPR-active gold(II) species.