Highly Strained, Ring-Tilted [1]Ferrocenophanes Containing Group 16 Elements in the Bridge: Synthesis, Structures, and Ring-Opening Oligomerization and Polymerization of [1]Thia- and [1]Selenaferrocenophanes

Abstract

The first chalcogen-bridged [1]ferrocenophanes Fe(η-C5H3R)2E (6, E = S, R = H; 7, E = Se, R = H; 12, E = S, R = Me) have been synthesized and characterized both structurally and spectroscopically. Synthesis of sulfur- and selenium-bridged species 6 and 7 was achieved by the reaction of dilithioferrocene·TMEDA (TMEDA = tetramethylethylenediamine) with bis(phenylsulfonyl) sulfide S(O2SPh)2 and selenium diethyldithiocarbamate Se(S2CNEt2)2, respectively, in 20−30% yields. Structural characterization of both 6 and 7 revealed highly strained structures with tilt-angles between the cyclopentadienyl ligands of 31.05(10)° and 26.4(2)°, respectively. Compounds 6 and 7 are purple and red-purple, respectively; comparison of the structures of known [1]ferrocenophanes 1 showed that when the second period (from group 14−16) is traversed, there is a substantial increase in cyclopentadienyl ring-tilting in main group element bridged [1]ferrocenophanes, and the lowest energy UV/vis absorption peaks become increasingly red-shifted. Extended Hückel MO calculations were performed and, consistent with this observation, predicted a decrease in the HOMO−LUMO gap as the ring-tilt increases. Thermal ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of both 6 and 7 afforded the insoluble poly(ferrocenyl sulfide) [Fe(η-C5H4)2S]n 8 and poly(ferrocenyl selenide) [Fe(η-C5H4)2Se]n 9, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry studies of the ROP process provided estimates of the strain energies of 6 and 7 which were ca. 130(±20) and 110(±20) kJ mol-1, respectively. Anionic ROP of 6 also yielded the insoluble poly(ferrocenyl sulfide) 8. However, linear soluble dimeric and trimeric trimethylsilyl-capped oligo(ferrocenyl sulfides) 10b and 11b were synthesized by the reaction of 6 with dilithioferrocene·TMEDA followed by the addition of Me3SiCl and were characterized spectroscopically, electrochemically, and, for 11b, by X-ray diffraction, and provide useful models for the analogous high polymer. The dimethylated sulfur-bridged species 12 was prepared as a mixture of isomers from the reaction between dilithiodimethylferrocene·TMEDA and S(O2SPh)2, and X-ray structural characterization of a single isomer 12a showed the presence of a large tilt-angle of 31.46(8)°. Thermal and anionic ROP of the isomer mixture 12 afforded the first soluble poly(ferrocenyl sulfide) [Fe(η-C5H3Me)2S]n 13 which was characterized by 1H and 13C NMR, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and gel permeation chromatography. Cyclic voltammetric studies of 13 showed the presence of two reversible oxidation waves with a redox coupling ΔE = ca. 0.32 V, which is consistent with the presence of significantly stronger M···M interactions compared to those present in other ring-opened poly(ferrocenes) derived from [1]ferrocenophanes.