Synthesis and structure of open and closed type iron telluride – stibine cluster compounds

Abstract

Open and closed type triiron chalcogenide stibine cluster molecules have been synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray structural studies. A comparison between the phenyl and isopropyl analogues of the open cluster compound shows some unique decarbonylation tendency for the phenyl analogue which easily converts an open cluster to a closed cluster molecule by a “butterfly wing-tip” opening mechanism. DFT study also revealed a critical behavior of such molecules in which the opening of a butterfly wing tip is governed by a decarbonylation step to give a closed cluster geometry. Antibacterial property was also studied with one of the closed cluster compound to understand their inhibition activity. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.