[2]Ferrocenophanes with Nitrogen in Bridging Positions

Bulky 1,1'-bisphosphanoferrocenes and their coordination behaviour towards Cu(i)

Two bulky mesityl substituted dppf-analogues Fe(C₅H₄PMes₂)₂ (Mes = 2,4,6-Me₃C₆H₂, 1) and Fe(C₅H₄PMes₂)(C₅H₄PPh₂) (Mes = 2,4,6-Me₃C₆H₂, Ph = C₆H₅, 3) have been prepared and their properties as donor ligands have been explored using heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy and in particular via¹J_P-Se coupling, cyclic voltammetry and DFT calculations. Based on the results obtained, a series of mono- and dinuclear Cu(i) complexes have been prepared with these new diphosphane ligands using Br^-, I^-, and BF₄^- as counter anions. For the very bulky ligand 1 rare and unprecedented double bridging complexation modes have been observed containing two non-planar Cu₂Br₂ units, while for the other dinuclear complexes planar Cu₂Br₂ units have been found. The Cu(i) complexes of 1 and 3 were then used as catalysts for CO₂-fixation reaction with terminal alkynes, and complexes with ligand 3 were found to be more efficient than those with 1. DFT calculations performed on compounds 1, 3 and their Cu(i) complexes were able to verify the trend of these catalytic reactions.

Scalable Synthesis of Functionalized Ferrocenyl Azides and Amines Enabled by Flow Chemistry

A scalable access to functionalized ferrocenyl azides has been realized in flow. By halogen-lithium exchange of ferrocenyl halides and trapping with tosyl azide, a variety of functionalized ferrocenyl azides were obtained in high yields. To allow a scalable preparation of these potentially explosive compounds, a flow protocol was developed accelerating the reaction time to minutes and circumventing accumulation of potentially hazardous intermediates. The corresponding ferrocenyl amines were then prepared by a reliable reduction process.

Synthesis and characterization of 1'-(diphenylphosphino)-1-isocyanoferrocene, an organometallic ligand combining two different soft donor moieties, and its Group 11 metal complexes

The development of a practical synthesis of 1'-(diphenylphosphino)-1-aminoferrocene (2) and its P-borane adduct (2B) allowed the facile preparation of 1'-(diphenylphosphino)-1-isocyanoferrocene (1). This compound combining two specific soft-donor moieties was studied as a ligand for univalent Group 11 metal ions. The reactions of 1 with AgCl at 1 : 1 and 2 : 1 molar ratios only led to the coordination polymer [Ag₂(μ-Cl)₂(μ(P,C)-1)]_n (6), while those with Ag[SbF₆] provided the dimer [Ag₂(Me₂CO-κO)₂(μ(P,C)-1)₂][SbF₆]₂ and the quadruply-bridged disilver complex [Ag₂(μ(P,C)-1)₄][SbF₆]₂ (8), respectively. Addition of 1 to [AuCl(tht)] (tht = tetrahydrothiophene) afforded the mono- and the digold complex, [AuCl(1-κP)] (9) and [(μ(P,C)-1)(AuCl)₂] (10), depending on the reaction stoichiometry. Finally, the reaction of 1 with [Au(tht)₂][SbF₆] or halogenide removal from 9 with AgNTf₂ led to cationic dimers [Au₂(μ(P,C)-1)₂]X₂ (11, X = SbF₆ (a) or NTf₂ (b)). Catalytic tests in the Au-mediated isomerization of (Z)-3-methylpent-2-en-4-yn-1-ol to 2,3-dimethylfuran revealed that 11a and 11b are substantially less catalytically active than their analogues containing 1'-(diphenylphosphino)-1-cyanoferrocene as the ligand, most likely due to a stronger coordination of the isonitrile moiety, which prevents dissociation of the dimeric complexes into catalytically active monomeric species.

Strained azabora[2]ferrocenophanes

The first BN-bridged [2]ferrocenophanes were synthesized and their structures and strain enthalpies were investigated.

[n]Ferrocenophanes (n = 2, 3) with Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Bridging Positions

The in situ prepared dilithio derivative of the known species 1-bromo-1'-(trimethylsilylamino)ferrocene (1) reacted with tBuPCl2 to form the first example of a [2]ferrocenophane ([2]FCP) bridged by nitrogen and phosphorus (2). Sulfurization of 2 followed by column chromatography on silica gel gave the expected [2]FCP with a tBu(S)PN(SiMe3) bridging moiety (3a) and its desilylated counterpart with a tBu(S)PNH bridging moiety (3b). The molecular structure of 3b was determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis (α = 18.40(11)°). Using a common synthetic methodology, two new 1-amino-1'-bromoferrocene derivatives were prepared, one species with a PhCH2 (6a) and another with a tBuCH2 group (6b) on nitrogen. Dilithiation of 6a followed by addition of tBuPCl2 gave a mixture of three constitutional isomers: the targeted [2]FCP (7a), the 1,1'-disubstituted ferrocene derivative (tBuPH)(PhCH═N)fc (8a), and the [3]FCP bridged by a (NH)(CHPh)PtBu moiety (9a). NMR spectroscopy revealed that 8a is the precursor for 9a. The salt-metathesis reaction of the dilithio derivative of 6b with tBuPCl2 exclusively gave the 1,1'-disubstituted ferrocene derivative (tBuPH)(tBuCH═N)fc (8b), which does not isomerize to the respective [3]FCP. DFT calculations at the M06/6-311+G(d,p) level were used to better rationalize these unexpected results.

A quadruplet electrochemical platform for ultrasensitive and simultaneous detection of ascorbic acid, dopamine, uric acid and acetaminophen based on a ferrocene derivative functional Au NPs/carbon dots nanocomposite and graphene

In this work, a new nanomaterial of thiol functional ferrocene derivative (Fc-SH) stabilized Au NPs/carbon dots nanocomposite (Au/C NC) coupling with graphene modified glassy carbon electrode (Fc-S-Au/C NC/graphene/GCE) was fabricated to serve as a quadruplet detection platform for ultrasensitive and simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), uric acid (UA) and acetaminophen (AC). The Au/C NC was synthesized by adding HAuCl4 into carbon nanodots solution without using any additional reductant and stabilizing agent. Then the Fc-SH was utilized as the protective and capping agent to modify the Au/C NC. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were adopted to characterize the morphology and electrochemical properties of the materials and the electrodes. The Fc-S-Au/C NC/graphene/GCE exhibits a synergistic catalytic and amplification effects towards oxidation of AA, DA, UA and AC owing to the existence of the nanomaterial and electron mediator. When simultaneous detection of AA, DA, UA and AC, the oxidation peak potentials of the four compounds on the electrode can be well separated and the peak currents were linearly dependent on their concentrations. The quadruplet detection platform shows excellent linear range and ultrasensitive response to the four components, the detection limits were estimated to be as low as 1.00, 0.05, 0.12 and 0.10 μM (S/N = 3), and the modified electrode exhibits excellent stability and reproducibility. The proposed electrode has been successfully applied to detect of these four analytes in real samples with satisfactory results.