NEW CHIRAL ZWITTERIONIC IRON HYDRIDE COMPLEXES WITH EPHOSIUM AND VALPHOSIUM LIGANDS

New chiral cationic phosphinite ligands based on ephedrine or valinol skeletons, and corresponding zwitterionic hydridotricarbonylfenate com plexes are described. IR data indicate an unusual cis-H-Fe-P arrangeme nt in these complexes, and NMR studies show an unusual variation of (2 )J(PH) with temperature and solvent. The possibility that both these r are features are dictated by a stabilizing back folding of the [NMeR2] (+) terminus onto the [FeH](-) center is discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.