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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Chem Soc Rev. 2010 May 20;39(8):2768–2779. doi: 10.1039/c003079c

Figure 3.

Figure 3

The nuclearity of carboxylate-rich iron complexes is sterically controlled. Sterically highly demanding ligands like −O2CAr4-tBuPh form monoiron complexes, [Fe1], whereas sterically open ligands like −O2Cph form polymeric species, [Fe∞]. Reversible cluster interconversions occur between windmill, [Fe2]wm, and paddlewheel, [Fe2]pw, complexes (presumably via a triply bridged species, [Fe2]tb) with −O2CArTol and between triiron, [Fe3], and tetrairon complexes, [Fe4], with −O2Cbiph. Interconversions must occur via carboxylate shifts (see text).