The hydroxo-bridged diiron(II) compounds [Fe
2(BPEAN)(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-OH)(OTf)](OTf)
2 (
1) and [Fe
2(BEPEAN)(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-OH)](OTf)
3 (
2) were prepared by using 1,8-naphthyridine-based dinucleating ligands BPEANand BEPEAN, where BPEAN = 2,7-bis{bis[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl]aminomethyl}-1,8-naphthyridine and BEPEAN= 2,7-bis{bis[2-(2-(5-ethyl)pyridyl)ethyl]aminomethyl}-1,8-naphthyridine. When compound
2 was treated withexcess 30% aqueous H
2O
2 in acetonitrile at -40
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
C, a red-brown species (
3) was produced. The UV-visspectrum of
3 exhibited an absorption maximum at 505 nm (
![](/images/gifchars/epsilon.gif)
= 1500 M
-1 cm
-1), close to that observed foroxyHr. Resonance Raman experiments revealed an isotope-sensitive O-O stretching band at 868 cm
-1. Whena mixture of 1:1 H
2O
2/D
2O
2 (25% in 1:1 H
2O/D
2O) was used to generate
3, a broader Raman band centeredat 870 cm
-1 appeared, indicating the peroxide group to be protonated. The
1H ENDOR spectrum of
3,cryoreduced to the diiron(II,III) state, s
howed a signal with
A ![](/images/entities/ap.gif)
12 MHz that disappeared when D
2O
2 in D
2Owas used to generate
3, providing further evidence for the presence of a hydroperoxide ligand bound to iron.The EPR spectrum of the cryoreduced sample revealed that
3 has a (
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-oxo)diiron(III) core, a conclusionsupported by Mössbauer spectroscopy. The Mössbauer spectrum exhibited the unusual quadrupole splittingvalues that are characteristic of the diiron(III) center of oxyHr. Thus, all spectroscopic properties of
3 areconsistent with it being a hydroperoxo-bound (
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-oxo)diiron(III) complex. The hydroperoxide ligand is moreresistant to deprotonation than in mononuclear iron(III) analogues, which may reflect the presence of a hydrogenbond between the hydroperoxide and bridging oxide groups. At room temperature, acetonitrile/water solutionsof
3 decayed to iron(II) species, releasing the iron-bound hydroperoxide group to form O
2.