A diiron complex mediates an intramolecular aliphatic hydroxylation by various oxygen donors

Abstract

In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, m-chloroperbenzoic acid or an iodosyl arene, the tert-butyl group of the ligand H(L–t-Bu) in the complex [Fe₂(L–t-Bu)(mpdp)]²⁺ is quantitatively hydroxylated to a butanolate terminally bound to one iron in [Fe₂(L–t-Bu − H + O)(mpdp)]²⁺, and mass spectrometry experiments indicate that the reaction proceeds according to different mechanisms.