Iron chains: The highly soluble, ferrocene‐containing polymer [‐fc‐B(Mes)‐]n (fc=Fe(C5H4)2, Mes=mesityl), with an average chain length of about 16 repeat units (n=16), is readily accessible by a novel polycondensation reaction starting from fc(BBr2)2 and HSiEt3 (see scheme). The polymer contains three‐coordinate boron centers, which are well‐suited for the promotion of electron delocalization along the polymer chain.

A comparison of the molecular structures of mono-, di- and tetraborylated ferrocenes [Fc{B(R(1))(R(2))}] (R(1)/R(2)=Br/Br, Br/Fc, Br/Me, Me/Me, Me/OH, OMe/OMe), 1,1'-[fc{B(R(1))(R(2))}(2)] (R(1)/R(2)=Br/Br, Br/Me, OMe/OMe), and 1,1',3,3'-[Fe{C(5)H(3)(BMe(2))(2)}(2)] revealed the boryl substituent(s) to be bent out of the Cp ring plane towards the iron center. The corresponding dip angle alpha* decreases with decreasing Lewis acidity of the boron atom and with increasing degree of borylation at the ferrocene core. This trend is well reproduced by DFT calculations (including [FcBH(2)], not yet accessible experimentally). A Bader analysis of the electron density topology of [FcBH(2)] (alpha*=26.5 degrees ; BP86/TZVP) clearly showed that there is no direct iron-boron bonding in this compound. Instead, strongly delocalized orbital interactions have been identified that involve the boron p orbital, C(ipso) of the adjacent Cp ring, d orbitals at iron, and a through-space interaction with the second Cp ring. A second important factor is attractive electrostatic interactions, which are enhanced upon ligand bending. Cyclic voltammetric measurements on the series [FcBMe(2)], 1,1'-[fc(BMe(2))(2)], and 1,1',3,3'-[Fe{C(5)H(3)(BMe(2))(2)}(2)] indicate a substantial anodic shift in the oxidation potential of the central iron atom upon introduction of BMe(2) substituents. Addition of 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) does not just counterbalance this effect, but leads to a cathodic shift of the Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox transition far beyond the half-wave potential of parent ferrocene. In the Mossbauer spectra, a continuous decrease in the quadrupole splitting (QS) is observed upon going from parent ferrocene to [FcBMe(2)], to 1,1'-[fc(BMe(2))(2)], and to 1,1',3,3'-[Fe{C(5)H(3)(BMe(2))(2)}(2)]. In contrast, no significant differences are found between the QS values of ferrocene, [Fc(BMe(2)-DMAP)], and 1,1'-[fc(BMe(2)-DMAP)(2)].

No abstract

Dinuclear and trinuclear ferrocene complexes {[Fc2BMe2]Li, [Fc-BMe2-fc-BMe2-Fc]Li2, Fc2B(pyind), [Fc2B(bipy)]PF6, [Fc-B(bipy)-fc-B(bipy)-Fc](PF6)2} bearing anionic, uncharged, and cationic four-coordinate boron bridges have been synthesized (Fc: ferrocenyl; fc: 1,1'-ferrocenylene; pyind: 5-fluoro-2-(2'-pyridyl)indolyl; bipy: 2,2'-bipyridyl). The molecular structures of [Fc2BMe2]Li(12-crown-4)2, [Fc-BMe2-fc-BMe2-Fc](Li(12-crown-4)2)2, Fc2B(pyind), and [Fc2B(bipy)]PF6 were determined by X-ray crystallography. The anionic aggregates [Fc2BMe2]- and [Fc-BMe2-fc-BMe2-Fc]2- are very sensitive to air and moisture whereas bromide salts of their cationic counterparts [Fc(2)B(bipy)]+ and [Fc-B(bipy)-fc-B(bipy)-Fc]2+ may be dissolved in water without decomposition. Cyclic voltammograms of the diferrocene species show two well-resolved one-electron transitions separated by 0.21 V ([Fc2BMe2]Li; Eo' = -0.43 V, -0.64 V; vs. FcH/FcH+), 0.18 V (Fc2B(pyind); Eo' = -0.03 V, -0.21 V), and 0.16 V ([Fc2B(bipy)]PF6; Eo' = +0.23 V, +0.07 V), which indicates electronic interactions between the two ferrocenyl substituents. Two redox waves with an intensity ratio of 1:2 are observed in the cyclic voltammograms of the trinuclear derivatives [Fc-BMe2-fc-BMe2-Fc]Li2 and [Fc-B(bipy)-fc-B(bipy)-Fc](PF6)2. In the case of the BMe(2)-bridged species, the electrochemically unique central ferrocenylene unit is oxidized at a much more cathodic potential value (Eo' = -1.21 V) than the two terminal ferrocenyl substituents (Eo' = -0.51 V). The opposite is true in the case of the B(bipy)-bridged trimer where oxidation of the terminal ferrocenyl groups (Eo' = +0.03 V) precedes oxidation of the internal iron atom (Eo' = +0.26 V). The Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox potentials of the mono- and dianionic species differ to a much larger extent from the redox potential of parent ferrocene (Eo' = 0 V) than the Eo' values of the corresponding mono- and dicationic derivatives. Apart from electrostatic interactions, the electrochemical properties of BMe2- and B(bipy)-bridged oligoferrocenes are determined by the pronounced positive inductive effect of triorganoborate substituents together with positive sigma/pi* hyperconjugation on the one hand and ferrocene-to-B(bipy) charge transfer on the other.

Mono- and ditopic lithium ferrocenylhydridoborates Li[FcBH(3)] (2) and Li(2)[H(3)B-fc-BH(3)] (4) have been synthesized from FcB(OMe)(2)/(MeO)(2)B-fc-B(OMe)(2) and Li[AlH(4)] (Fc = ferrocenyl; fc = 1,1'-ferrocenylene). X-ray quality crystals were grown from OEt(2). Depending on the amount of Li(+)-coordinated solvent molecules, dimeric (2(OEt(2))(2)) or tetrameric (2(OEt(2))) aggregates are observed in the solid state. The ditopic derivative 4 crystallizes as two different macrocyclic dimers (4(OEt(2))(5) and 4(OEt(2))(6)) in the unit cell. Each of the four aggregates is held together mainly by RBH(3)-eta(2)-Li bonds. Addition of Me(3)SiCl to 2 or 4 generates the corresponding boranes FcBH(2) (5) and H(2)B-fc-BH(2) (6), which can be trapped by adduct formation with NMe(2)Et or SMe(2). In contrast, when OEt(2) is present as the sole Lewis basic donor, no stable ether adducts are obtained, but condensation takes place leading to Fc(2)BH (10) and the novel borane polymer [-fcB(H)-](n) (9), respectively. In situ generation of FcBH(2) (5) in the presence of cyclohexene gives Fc(2)BCy and BCy(3) but no FcBCy(2), thereby indicating that 5 undergoes condensation to 10 more quickly than hydroboration of an internal olefin can occur (Cy = cyclohexyl). Fc(2)BH (10) was further studied as a model system for the optimization of modification reactions of polymer [-fcB(H)-](n) (9). Hydroboration of PhCCH or tBuCCH with 10 proceeds smoothly and quantitatively to give the corresponding vinylboranes Fc(2)B(CH horizontal lineCHR) (11(Ph), R = Ph; 11(tBu), R = tBu), which were fully characterized. In a similar manner, the polymeric borane 9 was successfully transformed into ferrocenylborane polymers [-fcB(CH horizontal lineCHR)-](n) (12(Ph), R = Ph; 12(tBu), R = tBu) that contain vinyl groups attached to boron. The structures of polymers 12 were confirmed by NMR and IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The MALDI-TOF spectra of 12(Ph) and 12(tBu) showed patterns of equidistant peaks with peak separations that are consistent with the masses of the expected repeating units of each of the polymers. The absorption maxima in the UV-vis spectra of polymers 12 are significantly red-shifted in comparison to the dimeric model systems 11.

The ferrocenylboranes FcBH 2 ‚NMe 2 Et and Fc 2 BH have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography, which revealed Fc 2 BH to be monomeric in the solid state. Both compounds undergo hydroboration reactions upon addition of alkynes.

A naked lithium cation is efficiently trapped within the [1.1]diborataferrocenophane dianion [1]2−, but released upon electrochemical oxidation of the ferrocene moieties. The complex [1‐Li]Li([12]crown‐4)2 provides the first experimental evidence for a theoretically predicted ferrocene⋅⋅⋅Li+ complex in which the Li+ ion is laterally bound to the Fe atom.

A systematic study of cation-pi interactions between alkali metal ions and the cyclopentadienyl ring of ferrocene is presented. The alkali metal (Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, Cs+) salts of the ditopic mono(pyrazol-1-yl)borate ligand [1,1'-fc(BMe2pz)2]2- crystallize from dimethoxyethane as multiple-decker sandwich complexes with the M+ ions bound to the pi faces of the ferrocene cyclopentadienyl rings in an eta5 manner (fc = (C5H4)2Fe; pz = pyrazolyl). X-ray crystallography of the lithium complex reveals discrete trimetallic entities with each lithium ion being coordinated by only one cyclopentadienyl ring. The sodium salt forms polyanionic zigzag chains where each Na+ ion bridges the cyclopentadienyl rings of two ferrocene moieties. Linear columns [-CpR-Fe-CpR-M+-CpR-Fe-CpR-M+-](infinity) (R = [-BMe2pz]-) are established by the K+, Rb+, and Cs+ derivatives in the solid state. According to DFT calculations, the binding enthalpies of M+-eta5(ferrocene) model complexes are about 20% higher as compared to the corresponding M+-eta6(benzene) aggregates when M+ = Li+ or Na+. For K+ and Rb+, the degree of cation-pi interaction with both aromatics is about the same. The binding sequence along the M+-eta5(ferrocene) series follows a classical electrostatic trend with the smaller ions being more tightly bound.