Ionic complexes of 1,1′‐dimethyltitanocene(IV) dichloride with simple α‐amino acids: synthesis,structural characterisation and investigation on hydrolytic stability in aqueous solution

Five cationic complexes of the general formula [Cp′₂Ti(A)₂]²⁺ [Cl^?]₂ [Cp′ = η⁵‐(CH₃)C₅H₄ and A = glycine, 1 ; 2‐methylalanine, 2 ; N‐methylglycine, 3 ; L ‐alanine, 4 ; and D ‐alanine 5 ] were prepared by the reaction of Cp′₂TiCl₂ and the appropriate α‐amino acid in 1:2 molar ratio from methanol–water solution in high yield. Air‐stable crystalline solids, highly soluble in water, were characterized by means of elemental analysis, IR, Raman, ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁴N NMR spectroscopy. The structure of compound 3 was determined by single crystal X‐ray crystallography: orthorhombic Pbca No. 61, a = 9.5310(3), b = 18.2980(5), c = 26.6350(5) Å, V = 4654 ų, Z = 8. Hydrolytic stability of all compounds in D₂O was investigated using ¹H NMR spectroscopy within the pD interval of 2.9–6.5. All compounds slowly decomposed during 24 h at pD = 2.94, forming a mixture of hydrolytic products [Cp′₂Ti(A)(D₂O)]²⁺, [Cp′₂Ti(D₂O)₂]²⁺ and respective α‐amino acids. By elevating pD to 4.0 and up to 6.5, a yellowish precipitate was formed, which indicates decomposition of the complexes. These compounds were characterized using elemental analyses, IR and Raman spectroscopy and attributed to oligomeric and/or polymeric structures described empirically by the formula Ti(Cp′)_xO_y(OH)_z (x = 0.65; y = 0.3, z = 1.9). Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.