REDUCTIVE COUPLING OF CARBONYL LIGANDS ON A CUBANE-TYPE TETRAIRON CLUSTER [CP4FE4(CO)(4)] OR [(MEC5H4)(4)FE-4(CO)(4)] TO GIVE AN ACETYLENE-COORDINATED CLUSTER [CP4FE4(HC-CH)(2)] OR [(MEC5H4)(4)FE-4(HC-CH)(2)]

Treatment of [Cp4Fe4(CO)(4)] with LiAlH4 in tetrahydrofuran (THF) resu lted in the reductive coupling of carbonyl ligands to produce a nonsub stituted acetylene-coordinated cluster [Cp4Fe4(HC=CH)(2)]. X-ray struc ture analysis revealed that the cluster consists of a puckered rhombus of four iron atoms. The coordination mode of the acetylene ligands wa s determined to be mu(4)-eta(2):eta(2):eta(1):eta(1)-HC=CH. The cyclic voltammogram of the acetylene-coordinated cluster exhibits three reve rsible or quasireversible one-electron oxidation waves and one irrever sible one-electron reduction wave, corresponding to +3/+2, +2/+1, +1/0 , and 0/-1 charged couples, respectively. Similarly, [(MeC5H4)(4)Fe-4( CO)(4)] reacts with LiAlH4 in THF to give [(MeC5H4)(4)Fe-4(HC=CH)(2)].