An iron(II) chloride complex possessing a sterically demanding ortho-phenylene-tethered bisphosphine ligand shows a high catalytic activity in the Kumada–Tamao–Corriu coupling of nonactivated alkyl halides with aryl Grignard reagents. Primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl halides can participate as an electrophilic coupling partner. A radical clock experiment using (iodomethyl)cyclopropane exclusively gives the corresponding ring-opening coupling product, suggesting intermediacy of alkyl radical species.

Iron disilyl dicarbonyl complex 1, in which two H–Si moieties of the 1,2-bis(dimethylsilyl)benzene ligand were coordinated to the iron center in an η²-(H–Si) fashion, was synthesized by the reaction of (η⁴-C₆H₈)Fe(CO)₃ with 2 equiv. of 1,2-bis(dimethylsilyl)benzene under photo-irradiation. Complex 1 demonstrated high catalytic activity toward the hydrogenation of alkenes, the hydrosilylation of alkenes and the reduction of carbonyl compounds.