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Fischer–Tropsch conversion of syngas to hydrocarbons is proposed to begin with CO binding to the iron surface of the catalyst. CO adsorption on various iron facets of relevance to the Fischer–Tropsch process suggest that the Fe(111) surface is the most active for catalysis, and that CO bound to the penultimate layer of Fe atoms or the b-state is the resting state during catalysis. Notably, a μ-1,2 mode was discarded for the b-state due to a lack of exemplar molecular species and expectation that such a mode would have a higher energy infrared (IR) absorption than observed experimentally (viz. 1735–1860 cm–1). Here, we report the synthesis of a diiron(I/II) complex in which CO binds μ-1,2: (Fe(OTf))(Fe(THF)(μ-1,2-CO))L where L2– is a bis(β-diketiminate) cyclophane (1). Surprisingly, the observed νCO at 1763 cm–1 for 1 compares well with that reported for b-state. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), Mössbauer, and density functional theory (DFT) results support a weakly coupled s = 3/2 iron(I) and s = 2 iron(II) pair. Reduction of 1 results in C–O cleavage and C–C bond formation to yield a ketenylidene (CCO) complex as a major product observed spectroscopically. 

Nitric oxide (NO), produced by nitrite reductases or nitric oxide synthases, performs vital roles in signaling and the immune response. Iron sulfur (FeS) clusters are known targets for NO induced degradation, serving as sensors to trigger cellular responses. However, this FeS reactivity is proposed as NO specific, with no demonstrated reactivity toward nitrite, a soluble NO storage molecule. We demonstrate that synthetic FeS clusters supported by various ligands undergo facile nitrosylation by nitrite in the presence of a reductant, evidencing the nitrite reductase reactivity for FeS clusters. Moreover, a mononitrosylated Fe4S4 cluster, [tempS3Fe4S4(NO)]2–, can be readily synthesized by this approach, enabling further investigation into the FeS cluster repair and decomposition under NO induced oxidative stress.