A novel and convenient route to ring-opened poly(ferrocenylsilanes) with alkoxy,aryloxy, and amino substituents at silicon

A novel and convenient route to the first poly(ferrocenylsilanes) with alkoxy, aryloxy, and amino substituents at silicon is reported. The reaction sequence involves (i) unexpectedly facile and clean halogen replacement at the bridging atom of a readily accessible dichlorosilyl-bridged 1]ferrocenophane by OR, OAr, and NR₂ groups via reactions with aliphatic and aromatic alcohols and amines in the presence of an HCl acceptor and (ii) thermal or transition metal catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of the new ferrocenophane.