Preparation of dinuclear iron carbonyl compounds containing a three-electron CH2-S bridging fragment

Dithioacetals, CH 2 (SR 1 )(SR 2 ), reacted with Fe(CO) 5 under UV irradiation to give, after scission of an S-C bond, the butterfly complexes [Fe 2 (CO) 6 (μ-SR 1 )(μ-CH 2 SR 2 )-C,S[ [R 1 R 2 =CH 2 SCH 2 or (CH 2 ) 3 and R 1 =R 2 =Me]. A crystal structure determination and NMR study confirmed the similar structures and novel CH 2 -S bridging units in all these complexes