Two pentacoordinate mononuclear iron carbonyls of the form (bdt)Fe(CO)P₂ [bdt = benzene-1,2-dithiolate; P₂ = 1,1′-diphenylphosphinoferrocene (1) or methyl-2-{bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)amino}acetate (2)] were prepared as functional, biomimetic models for the distal iron (Fe_d) of the active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenase. X-ray crystal structures of the complexes reveal that, despite similar ν(CO) stretching band frequencies, the two complexes have different coordination geometries. In X-ray crystal structures, the iron center of 1 is in a distorted trigonal bipyramidal arrangement, and that of 2 is in a distorted square pyramidal geometry. Electrochemical investigation shows that both complexes catalyze electrochemical proton reduction from acetic acid at mild overpotential, 0.17 and 0.38 V for 1 and 2, respectively. Although coordinatively unsaturated, the complexes display only weak, reversible binding affinity toward CO (1 bar). However, ligand centered protonation by the strong acid, HBF₄·OEt₂, triggers quantitative CO uptake by 1 to form a dicarbonyl analogue [1(H)-CO]⁺ that can be reversibly converted back to 1 by deprotonation using NEt₃. Both crystallographically determined distances within the bdt ligand and density functional theory calculations suggest that the iron centers in both 1 and 2 are partially reduced at the expense of partial oxidation of the bdt ligand. Ligand protonation interrupts this extensive electronic delocalization between the Fe and bdt making 1(H)⁺ susceptible to external CO binding.

Attempts to prepare low-valent molybdenum complexes that feature a pentadentate 2,6-bis(imino)pyridine (or pyridine diimine, PDI) chelate allowed for the isolation of two different products. Refluxing Mo(CO)₆ with the pyridine-substituted PDI ligand, ^PyEtPDI, resulted in carbonyl ligand substitution and formation of the respective bis(ligand) compound (^PyEtPDI)₂Mo (1). This complex was investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and density functional theory calculations indicated that 1 possesses a Mo(0) center that back-bonds into the π*-orbitals of the unreduced PDI ligands. Heating an equimolar solution of Mo(CO)[subscript 6] and the phosphine-substituted PDI ligand, ^Ph2PPrPDI, to 120 °C allowed for the preparation of (^Ph2PPrPDI)Mo(CO) (2), which is supported by a κ5-N,N,N,P,P-^Ph2PPrPDI chelate. Notably, 1 and 2 have been found to catalyze the hydrosilylation of benzaldehyde at 90 °C, and the optimization of 2-catalyzed aldehyde hydrosilylation at this temperature afforded turnover frequencies of up to 330 h^–1. Considering additional experimental observations, the potential mechanism of 2-mediated carbonyl hydrosilylation is discussed.