An Investigation of the Dynamic Structures of Ferrocene, Ruthenocene and Dibenzenechromium in the Solid State and in Solution

Abstract

Abstract Pulse nuclear magnetic resonance measurements have been used to determine the activation enthalpies for the reorientation of the organic rings in ferrocene, ruthenocene and dibenzenechromium. The contribution from non-bonded interactions to the total potential for reorientation of the rings has been calculated and is compared to the experimental activation enthalpies. The results indicate that there is no contribution to the potential from the non-bonded interactions between the two rings on a single molecule and that the observed potential barrier is due to a combination of crystal packing forces and bonding forces within the molecule. The crystal structure of ferrocene is thought to be disordered above 135[ddot]K, and a model is proposed for the order-disorder transition in the solid state. On this basis, dynamic models are proposed for the structures of the three metallocenes in solution.