N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands as Mimics of Imidazoles/Histidine for the Stabilization of Di- and Trinitrosyl Iron Complexes

N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are shown to be reasonable mimics of imidazole ligands in dinitrosyl iron complexes determined through the synthesis and characterization of a series of {Fe(NO)(2)}(10) and {Fe(NO)(2)}(9) (Enemark-Feltham notation) complexes. Monocarbene complexes (NHC-iPr)(CO)Fe(NO)(2) (1) and (NHC-Me)(CO)Fe(NO)(2) (2) (NHC-iPr = 1,3-diisopropylimidazol-2-ylidene and NHC-Me = 1,3-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene) are formed from COIL exchange with Fe(CO)(2)(NO)(2). An additional equivalent of NHC results in the bis-carbene complexes (NHC-iPr)(2)Fe(NO)(2) (3) and (NHC-Me)(2)Fe(NO)(2) (4), which can be oxidized to form the {Fe(NO)(2)}(9) bis-carbene complexes 3(+) and 4(+). Treatment of complexes 1 and 2 with [NO]BF4 results in the formation of uncommon trinitrosyl iron complexes, (NHC-iPr)Fe(NO)(3)(+) (5(+)) and (NHC-Me)Fe(NO)(3)(+) (6(+)), respectively. Cleavage of the Roussin's Red ester (mu-SPh)(2)[Fe(NO)(2)](2) with either NHC or imidazole results in the formation of (NHC-iPr)(PhS)Fe(NO)(2) (7) and (Imid-iPr)(PhS)Fe(NO)(2) (10) (Imid-iPr = 2-isopropylimidazole). The solid-state molecular structures of complexes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5(+), and 7 show that they all have pseudotetrahedral geometry. Infrared spectroscopic data suggest that NHCs are slightly better electron donors than imidazoles; electrochemical data are also consistent with what is expected for typical donor/acceptor abilities of the spectator ligands bound to the Fe(NO)(2) unit Although the monoimidazole complex (Imid-iPr)(CO)Fe(NO)(2) (8) was observed via IR spectroscopy, attempts to isolate this complex resulted in the formation of a tetrameric {Fe(NO)2}9 species, I(Imid-iPr)Fe(NO)(2)](4) (9), a molecular square analogous to the unsubstituted imidazole reported by Li and Wang et al. Preliminary NO-transfer studies demonstrate that the {Fe(NO)(2)}(9) bis-carbene complexes can serve as a source of NO to a target complex, whereas the {Fe(NO)(2)}(10) bis-carbenes are unreactive in the presence of a NO-trapping agent.