Iron(III) acetate

Iron (III) acetate, commonly known as basic iron acetate, is a chemical compound with the formula [Fe3O(OAc)6(H2O)3]OAc (OAc is CH3CO2-). It is a salt, with one ionic acetate anion and the triangular cation [Fe3O(OAc)6(H2O)3]+. . Each metal in the cation is bonded to six oxygen atoms, including a triply bridging oxide at the center of the equilateral triangle. The water ligands can be replaced with other Lewis bases, such as pyridine.



Reduction of this species affords the mixed-valence derivative that contains one ferrous center in addition to two ferric centers.

In general acetate stabilizes multimetallic structures. Other examples include chromium(II) acetate, copper(II) acetate, and basic beryllium acetate.

Other basic acetates
Other metals give analogous structures: chromium, ruthenium, vanadium, and rhodium. Additionally, mixed metal species are known such as the charge-neutral [Fe2CoO(OAc)6(H2O)3].