Fourteen novel ferrocene derivatives have been
designed to serve as receptors for low molecular weight
diamines. The compounds that have been prepared and fully
characterized possess two ferrocenedicarboxylic acid
residues bridged by amide formation in their respective 1‘-positions by
4,4‘-benzidinyl (15), 3,3‘-dimethoxy-4,4‘-benzidinyl (16), 2,7-fluorenyl (17),
3-methoxy-2,7-fluorenyl (18),
4-N-piperazinoanilinyl (19),
N,N‘-4,4‘-bipiperdinyl
(20), and 4,13-diaza-18-crown-6 (21).
In two cases, ferrocenecarboxylic acid was bridged by spacers
attached using
1-methylene groups. The bridges in these cases were
4,13-diaza-18-crown-6 (22) and
1,5-diaminoanthraquinone
(24). In a single case, ferrocenecarboxylic acid was
bridged by 1,5-dicarbonylnaphthalene (25). In one
additional
case, the bridge was created by formation of an imine followed by
hydrogenation, but both compounds (26,
27)
proved to be relatively unstable. Attempts to increase solubility
afforded the N-ethylated derivative 28 of
15 and the
derivative 29 of 27 having carboxamides in the
1‘-positions. A solid state structure of the diethyl ester of
20 confirms
the design criteria. Complexation constants were determined in
THF-d
8 or CDCl3 for combinations of
receptors 18,
19, and 20 with 4-aminopyridine,
N,N,N‘,N‘-tetramethylethylenediamine,
N,N,N‘,N‘-tetramethylpropylenediamine,
DABCO, 3-propyladenine, and benzimidazole and were in the range
102−104. The anticipated
complexation
mechanism for 20 with
N,N,N‘,N‘-tetramethylpropylenediamine
was confirmed by observation of an NOE between
host and guest.