Cyanide bridged trinuclear complexes with FeCNMCl2NCFe backbones (M=Ni, Cu, Zn)

The title complexes were prepared from Cp(dppe)FeCN and the metal chlorides. Cp(dppe)FeCNCuCl and Cp(dppe)FeCNCuCl2NCFe(dppe)Cp were characterised by structural determination. Electrochemical measurements have shown that there is no electronic interaction between the two outer iron centres in the NiCl2 and CuCl2 derived complexes. The ZnCl2 derived complex, however, shows two separate redox waves that allows us to assign the mono-oxidised species as a class II mixed valent species according to the classification of Robin and Day.