Electronic Structure of a Diiron Complex: A Multitechnique Experimental Study of [(dppf)Fe(CO) ₃]^+/0

Here we explore the electronic structure of the diiron complex [(dppf)Fe(CO)3]0/+ [10/+ dppf = 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene] in two oxidation states by an advanced multitechnique experimental approach. A combination of magnetic circular dichroism, X-ray absorption and emission, high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and Mössbauer spectroscopies is used to establish that oxidation of 10 occurs on the carbonyl iron ion, resulting in a low-spin iron(I) ion. It is shown that an unequivocal result is obtained by combining several methods. Compound 1+ displays slow spin dynamics, which is used here to study its geometric structure by means of pulsed EPR methods. Surprisingly, these data show an association of the tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethylphenyl)]borate counterion with 1+.