Reactions of cyclometalated carbonyliron complex derived from thienyl Schiff base

Cyclometalated hexacarbonyldiiron complex 2, which derived from N-(2-thienylmethylidene)aniline, undergoes (1) thermolysis to recover the original Schiff base 1, (2) reduction to form a hydrogenation product of the original thienyl Schiff base 3, (3) substitution to form a phosphine-substituted complex 4, and (4) chemical as well as electrochemical oxidation to produce a γ-lactam 5.