One-electron oxidations of ferrocenes: A pulse radiolysis study

Using the pulse radiolysis technique we have studied the oxidation by various inorganic radicals of four water soluble ferrocene derivatives, hydroxyethyl, dimethylaminomethyl, monocarboxylic acid and dicarboxylic acid. We report the second order rate constants for these reactions, the stabilities and spectral properties of the ferrocinium products, and the electrochemically determined ferrocinium/ferrocene redox potentials. We also present preliminary estimates of tyrosine and tryptophan radical redox potentials obtained with the dicarboxylic acid ferrocene derivative as reference, and we discuss the relationship between redox potential differences and the reactivities of the ferrocenes with the inorganic radicals.     

Acceptor‐Substituted Ferrocenium Salts as Strong,Single‐Electron Oxidants: Synthesis,Electrochemistry, Theoretical Investigations,and Initial Synthetic Application

A series of mono‐ and 1,1′‐diheteroatom‐substituted ferrocene derivatives as well as acylated ferrocenes was prepared efficiently by a unified strategy that consists of selective mono‐ and 1,1′‐dilithiation reactions and subsequent coupling with carbon, phosphorus, sulfur and halogen electrophiles. Chemical oxidation of the ferrocene derivatives by benzoquinone, 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyanobenzoquinone, AgPF₆, or 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1‐oxopiperidinium hexafluorophosphate provided the corresponding ferrocenium salts. The redox potentials of the synthesized ferrocenes were determined by cyclic voltammetry, and it was observed that all new ferrocenium salts have stronger oxidizing properties than standard ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate. An initial application of selected derivatives in an oxidative bicyclization revealed that they mediate the transformation under considerably milder conditions than ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate. Quantum chemical calculations of the reduction potentials of the substituted ferrocenium ions were carried out by using a standard thermodynamic cycle that involved the gas‐phase energetics and solvation energies of the contributing species. A remarkable agreement between theory and experiment was found: the mean average deviation amounted to only 0.030 V and the maximum deviation to 0.1 V. This enabled the analysis of various physical contributions to the computed reduction potentials of these ferrocene derivatives, thereby providing insight into their electronic structure and physicochemical properties.     

Competitive self-assembly and electrochemistry of some ferrocenyl-n-alkanethiol derivatives on gold

Three ferrocenyl-alkanethiol derivatives with different functional groups linking ferrocene to an alkanethiol chain have been synthesized and characterized electrochemically in bulk solution and in self-assembled monolayer films on gold electrodes. Relative affinities of the ferrocenyl-alkanethiols and of the corresponding n-alkanethiols for the electrode surface were evaluated by the competitive self-assembly method. The affinity of the ferrocenyl-alkanethiols for the surface, relative to that of the corresponding alkanethiols, is a function of the polarity of the functional group linking ferrocene to the alkanethiol chain. In general, nonpolar linking groups (methylene) show a stronger affinity for the surface than do polar groups (carboxamides) and especially charged groups (quaternary ammonium salts). It is postulated that electrostatic effects are critically important during self-assembly. Redox potentials for the three ferrocenyl-alkanethiol derivatives scale approximately with the electron donating/withdrawing effects of the functional groups on the cyclopentadiene rings. However, redox potentials for the surface-confined molecules are consistently more positive than for the identical molecules in bulk solution.     

Recent research progress in the synthesis,properties and applications of ferrocene‐based derivatives and polymers with azobenzene

Aromatic azobenzene derivatives are outstanding organic photochromic compounds that possess unique photochemical properties. These compounds are widely used in research and development for various applications, especially in information storage, owing to their ability to isomerize between cis (Z) and trans (E) forms under the influence of light of different wavelengths. On account of these advantages, many efforts have been made to generalize the use of azobenzene derivatives. Furthermore, ferrocene‐based polymers and derivatives are promising candidates for functional materials due to their unique redox properties. By interlinking ferrocene with azobenzene, novel functional materials can be obtained that will integrate the excellent properties of both and will provide new applications in various fields including information storage, ion recognition, molecular devices, etc. This article provides an overview of the synthesis, properties and applications of novel ferrocene‐based polymers and derivatives containing azobenzene units. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Acceptor-substituted ferrocenium salts as strong, single-electron oxidants: synthesis, electrochemistry, theoretical investigations, and initial synthetic application

A series of mono- and 1,1'-diheteroatom-substituted ferrocene derivatives as well as acylated ferrocenes was prepared efficiently by a unified strategy that consists of selective mono- and 1,1'-dilithiation reactions and subsequent coupling with carbon, phosphorus, sulfur and halogen electrophiles. Chemical oxidation of the ferrocene derivatives by benzoquinone, 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone, AgPF(6) , or 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-oxopiperidinium hexafluorophosphate provided the corresponding ferrocenium salts. The redox potentials of the synthesized ferrocenes were determined by cyclic voltammetry, and it was observed that all new ferrocenium salts have stronger oxidizing properties than standard ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate. An initial application of selected derivatives in an oxidative bicyclization revealed that they mediate the transformation under considerably milder conditions than ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate. Quantum chemical calculations of the reduction potentials of the substituted ferrocenium ions were carried out by using a standard thermodynamic cycle that involved the gas-phase energetics and solvation energies of the contributing species. A remarkable agreement between theory and experiment was found: the mean average deviation amounted to only 0.030?V and the maximum deviation to 0.1?V. This enabled the analysis of various physical contributions to the computed reduction potentials of these ferrocene derivatives, thereby providing insight into their electronic structure and physicochemical properties.     

Lithium redox-responsive ferrocene bis-tertiary amide derivatives

The addition of Li⁺ to ferrocene bis-tertiary amide derivatives in acetonitrile results in a shift of the ferrocene oxidation wave to more positive potentials and the appearance of a new redox couple associated with a Li⁺ complex.     

Supramolecular effects on the potential of redox units-nanoscaffolds internally functionalised with ferrocene units

Redox-active nanoscale racks and nanoladders were prepared as proof of principle in a directional heteroleptic approach towards internally functionalised aggregates. Using the HETTAP concept, zinc(ii) phenanthroline terpyridine nanoladder and nanorack structures with internal ferrocene units were prepared. Proximal effects exerted by the ferrocene units in the nanoladders could be read out by comparison of their redox potentials with those of nanorack R1 and of the parent ligand. The increasing compression of the ferrocene units when going from the larger nanoladder L1 to the smaller aggregate L2 manifested itself in an enlarged anodic shift. Thus, the redox potential series (vs. DMFc: E(1/2) = 0.462 V for R1, 0.480 V for L1 and 0.491 V for L2) reveals convincingly the supramolecular effect on a redox transition. At cathodic potentials the zinc(II) phenanthroline terpyridine complexes were decomposed due to a reduction of the ligands, as could be detected from an evaluation of the ferrocene redox potential.     

Ferrocenylethenylsilatranes and a cymantrenylsilatrane

The syntheses, properties and crystal structures of two isomeric ferrocenylethenylsilatranes and 1-(3-methylcymantrenyl)silatrane are reported. The organometallic moieties and the silatrane show little structural influence on each other. The Si---N distances remain in the expected range of 2.13–2.22 Å, asserting the hypervalency of silicon. The electron-donating effect of the silatrane group is transmitted through the C---C double bond to ferrocene, as shown by the redox potentials. The first hyperpolarizability of the ferrocene derivatives was determined by hyper-Rayleigh scattering.     

Attachment of Amine‐ and Maleimide‐Containing Ferrocene Derivatives onto Self‐Assembled Alkanethiol and Alkanedithiol Monolayers: Voltammetric Evaluation of Cross‐Linking Efficiencies and Surface Coverage of Electroactive Groups

Ferrocene derivatives containing primary amines and maleimide groups were attached covalently onto N‐hydrosuccinimidyl (NHS)‐terminated alkanethiol self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) and SAMs of alkanedithiol. The surface coverage and efficiencies of the two cross‐linking reactions were evaluated with cyclic voltammetry. All the ferrocene derivatives attached onto the alkanethiol or alkanedithiol SAMs exhibit reversible redox waves. The surface coverage of the aminated ferrocene groups was compared to that of N‐hydrosuccinimidyl (NHS)‐terminated alkanethiol SAM. The covalent attachment of β‐ferrocenylethylamine onto a 11,11′‐dithio‐bis(succinimidylundecanoate) SAM yielded an efficiency as high as 63.1%. The cross‐linking efficiency of this reaction was found to increase with the nucleophilicity of the amino groups. SAMs of longer alkyl chains favor the attachment of a greater number of ferrocene derivatives. As for the Michael‐type electrophilic addition between the sulfhydryl groups of the alkanedithiol SAMs and the ferrocenyl maleimide, the cross‐linking efficiencies were found to range from 6.5% to 25.7%, depending on the alkanedithiol chain length. The difference in the efficiencies between the two types of cross‐linking reactions might be partially attributable to the steric hindrance imposed by the SAMs and the relative sizes of the functional groups.     

Measurement and DFT calculation of Fe(cp)(2) redox potential in molecular monolayers covalently bound to H-Si(100)

The electron transfer to self-assembled molecular monolayers carrying a ferrocene (Fc) center, grafted on a flat Si(100) surface, is a recent subject of experimental investigation. We report here the density functional theory (DFT) ab initio calculation of Fc-silicon hybrid redox potentials. The systems were modeled with a slab of H-terminated Si(100) 1 x 1 and 2 x 1 surfaces: geometries were optimized using the ONIOM method, and solute-solvent interactions were included through the polarizable continuum model (PCM) method. Two new routes for Si functionalization with ethyl- (EtFC) and ethynyl-Fc (EFC) differing only in the unsaturation degree of the anchoring arm have been successfully explored, and the redox potential of the resulting hybrids has been measured by cyclic voltammetry: 0.675 and 0.851 V versus NHE for the EtFC and EFC derivatives, respectively. These values, along with the previously measured potential (0.700 V) for the mono-unsaturated derivative, vinyl-Fc, allow the relation between the unsaturation degree and the adduct redox potential to be studied. The comparison among the measured and computed potentials allows one to discriminate between different adduct isomers for the saturated species and more importantly provides strong indications that the carbon-carbon unsaturation initially present in the molecular arm used for anchoring to the surface is preserved upon addition, in contrast with the commonly accepted reaction mechanism.     

Metal-organic frameworks post-synthetically modified with ferrocenyl groups: framework effects on redox processes and surface conduction

Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials based on zinc(II) and aluminium(III) dicarboxylate frameworks with covalently attached ferrocene functional redox groups were synthesised by post-synthetic modification and investigated by voltammetry in aqueous and non-aqueous media. In the voltammetry experiments, ferrocene oxidation occurs in all cases, but chemically reversible and stable ferrocene oxidation without decay of the voltammetric response requires a "mild" dichloroethane solvent environment. The voltammetric response in this case is identified as "surface-confined" with fast surface-hopping of electrons and without affecting the bulk of MOF microcrystals. In aqueous media a more complex pH-dependent multi-stage redox process is observed associated with chemically irreversible bulk oxidation and disintegration of the MOF framework. A characteristic 30 mV per pH unit dependence of redox potentials is observed attributed to a "framework effect": the hydroxide-driven MOF framework dissolution.     

Triple Component Carbon Epoxy pH Probe

A pH probe based on a carbon‐epoxy electrode design is discussed. The electrode consists of three redox active components within a carbon epoxy matrix. These are the pH sensitive species anthraquinone and phenanthrenequinone, along with the pH insensitive ferrocene reference compound. The values of the peak potentials when combined are shown to shift by 120 mV/pH unit at 25 °C with respect to the ferrocene reference potential.     

Nanoparticle films as electrodes: voltammetric sensitivity to the nanoparticle energy gap

Electron-transfer reactions of redox solutes at electrode/solution interfaces are facilitated when their formal potentials match, or are close to, the energy of an electronic state of the electrode. Metal electrodes have a continuum of electronic levels, and redox reactions occur without restraint over a wide span of electrode potentials. This paper shows that reactions on electrodes composed of films of metal nanoparticles do have constraints when the nanoparticles are sufficiently small and molecule-like so as to exhibit energy gaps, and resist electron transfers with redox solutes at potentials within the energy gap. When solute formal potentials are near the electronic states of the nanoparticles in the film, electron-transfer reactions can occur. The electronic states of the nanoparticle film electrodes are reflected in the formal potentials of the electrochemical reactions of the dissolved nanoparticles at naked metal electrodes. These ideas are demonstrated by voltammetry of aqueous solutions of the redox solutes methyl viologen, ruthenium hexammine, and two ferrocene derivatives at films on electrodes of 1.1 nm core diameter Au nanoparticles coated with protecting monolayers of phenylethanethiolate ligands. The methyl viologen solute is unreactive at the nanoparticle film electrode, having a formal potential lying in the nanoparticle's energy gap. The other solutes exhibit electron transfers, albeit slowed by the electron hopping resistance of the nanoparticle film. The nanoparticles are not linked together, being insoluble in the aqueous medium; a small amount of an organic additive (acetonitrile) facilitates observing the redox solute voltammetry.     

Redox-active macrocyles designed for direct attachment to electrode surfaces

Abstract

A compound containing a redox-switchable ferrocene unit, a cation binding site (crown ether), a hydrophobic tail, and a functional group suitable for conversion into an electrode anchor has been synthesized. Its properties have been assessed by mass spectrometric and electrochemical methods and the effects of cations on the properties of this compound are presented. In addition, several hydrophobic ferrocene derivatives have been prepared and studied by the FAB/MS technique and results of those studies are also reported. These techniques demonstrate cation-mediated cooperativity between the redox center and cation binding site. Other effects resulting from the combination of subunits within a single molecule are also reported.     

In situ Ellipsometric Study of Redox Induced Orientation of a Short Chained Ferrocenylalkylthiol Monolayer Self-Assembled on Gold

The structural modifications accompanying the redox switching of a short ferrocene derivative [(C₅H₅)Fe(C₅H₄)CO(CH₂)₅SH] monolayer self-assembled on gold are investigated using ellipsometry. Average values for the complex refractive index and thickness of the monolayer are estimated from ex situ and in situ experiments. The changes in the optical parameters are monitored during potential cycling and between two potential values, where the ferrocene is in its either reduced or oxidized form. The optical changes point to an increase of 1 to 2 Å in the monolayer thickness as the ferrocene is oxidized to the ferricinium cation. The thickness variation is in very good agreement with the rotation of the ferrocene rings towards a more perpendicular position relative to the electrode surface. The changes in orientation are reversible when the potential is cycled. However, instability of the monolayer is observed when the modified electrode is polarized for a few minutes at potentials where the monolayer is oxidized and then returned to the reduced form. This instability is associated with the ferrocene moiety, since a loss of electroactivity is simultaneously detected by cyclic voltammetry.     

The study of redox reactions of bisarenechromium complexes by the rotating disk electrode technique: I. Oxidation of bisarenechromium(O) complexes and reduction of bisarenechromium(I) cations

The redox properties of twenty bisarenechromium complexes have been studied by the rotating disk electrode technique in an aprotic solvent (DMSO). The half-wave potentials, E_1/2, have been found to correlate well with the meta-substituent constants. The conclusion is drawn that the electronic effects of substituents are mainly transferred to the reaction centre (the metal atom) by the inductive mechanism. The conjugation of substituents with the coordinated ring is weaker in bisarenechromium complexes than in ferrocene derivatives.     

Structures and charge-discharge properties of spin-carrying ferrocene derivatives

Several ferrocene derivatives (1-6) carrying nitroxide radical were prepared as dual redox compounds. They have distorted molecular structures and exhibit oxidation potentials based on both ferrocene and nitroxide groups except 4. The multi-step charge-discharge processes are discriminated for mono-substituted derivatives with the first discharge capacity up to 400 Ah kg⁻¹ for imino-derivative 3, while relatively characterless profiles are observed for bis-substituted derivatives 4 and 6 with capacity over 300 Ah kg⁻¹.     

Oxidation of nitroxyl radicals: electrochemical and computational studies

We have developed azaadamantane-type nitroxyl radicals (AZADOs) and azabicyclo-type nitroxyl radicals (ABNOs) as highly active alcohol oxidation catalysts. Herein, the electrochemical properties of these nitroxyl radicals were investigated by measuring their formal potentials using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The redox potentials were rationalized with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A good correlation between the experimental redox potential and the DFT-computed energy differences (ΔE) between nitroxyl radicals and oxoammonium species was obtained, which shows the effectiveness of DFT in predicting the redox potentials of nitroxyl radicals. Redox potential appears to be an important factor of catalytic activity.     

A correlation between the half-wave potential and the micelle-solubilization equilibrium of ferrocene in cationic micellar solutions

The reversible half-wave potential of the ferricinium/ferrocene redox couple in aqueous 0.2 M Li₂SO₄, (0.165±0.005) V vs. SCE, is determined directly by cyclic voltammetry of ferrocene, in spite of its poor solubility. The reversible half-wave potentials of this couple in cationic micellar solutions of alkyltrimethylammonium bromide are independent of the ferrocene concentration, showing that the pseudo-phase model or the Poisson distribution is applicable to these micellar solutions. The relation between the half-wave potentials in the water and the micellar solution is formulated on the basis of the micelle-solubilization equilibrium. The solubility data and the above half-wave potential data of ferrocene together offer corroborating evidence for the validity of this relation. This fact means that the voltammetric technique can be applied to a complicated micellar system to yield a clear-cut conclusion, and can be used in conjunction with the solubility measurement to determine the formal standard potential of a substance which is insoluble in water but can be solubilized in micellar solution.     

Application of capillary electrophoresis technique for the enantioseparation of bioactive ferrocene-based compounds versus DFT calculated data

Herein, a series of bioactive ferrocene-modified N-heterocycles with alkyl linkers was prepared in good to quantitative yields starting from easy accessible ferrocene alcohols and heterocycles under acidic or neutral (for imidazole) conditions in racemic forms. The analytical resolution of a number of bioactive racemic ferrocene azoles 1 – 6 (where azole = imidazole, pyrazole, and benzotriazole derivatives) into enantiomers was first carried out by CE using sulfobuthylether-β-CD (captisol) as a chiral selector. The analytical approaches to highly enantiomeric-enriched ferrocene derivatives are based on the formation of their inclusion complexes. The best chiral separation was achieved using zone CE in a quartz capillary. The ACE was used to evaluate the stability constants of captisol complexes with enantiomeric forms of two ferrocene derivatives 1 , FcCHMe-imidazole, and 6 , FcCHMe-benzotriazole. The optimal conditions for the resolution of the studied (R, S)-ferrocene compounds 1 , 2 , and 6 were predicted on the basis of the performed quantum chemical calculations and then implemented by the electrophoretic method. A high correlation between density functional theory calculation results and experimental electrophoresis data were obtained. Successful enantioseparation of racemic mixtures is of great importance for the characterization and further applications of drug candidates in enantiopure forms and in the development of clinical treatment. The advantages of the CE procedure make it possible to have important practical value and significance for determining the purity and enantiomeric excess of other ferrocene-containing compounds.