Alkyloxy- and aryloxy-titanocenes: Synthesis, solid-state structure and cyclic voltammetric studies

Alkyloxy- and aryloxy-functionalized titanocenes of type Ti](Cl)(OR) (R = Me (2), CH₂PPh₂ (3), CH₂Fc (4), C₆H₅ (5), C₆H₄-4-CN (6), C₆H₄-4-NO₂ (7), C₆H₄-4-Me (8), C₆H₄-4-OMe (9), C₆H₄-4-C(O)Me (10), C₆H₄-4-CO₂Me (11), C₆H₄-3-NO₂ (12); Ti] = (η⁵-C₅H₄SiMe₃)₂Ti; Fc = (η⁵-C₅H₄)(η⁵-C₅H₅)Fe) were synthesized by the reaction of Ti]Cl₂ (1) with ROH in a 1:1 molar ratio and in presence of Et₂NH. Diaryloxy-titanocenes (e.g., Ti](OC₆H₄-4-NO₂)₂ (13)) are accessible, when the ratio of 1 and ROH is changed to 1:2. This synthesis methodology also allowed the preparation of dinuclear complexes of composition (Ti](Cl))₂(μ-OC₆H₄O) (14) and (Ti](Cl)(μ-OC₆H₄-4))₂ (15) by the reaction of 1 with hydroquinone or 1,1′-dihydroxybiphenyl in a 2:1 stoichiometry.Cyclic voltammetric studies show the characteristic Ti(IV)/Ti(III)] reductions. It was found that the potentials of the alkyloxy titanocenes 2–4 do not differ, while for the aryloxy-titanocenes 5–15 the reduction potentials correlate linearly with the σ_p/m Hammett substituent constants showing a strong influence of the substituents on the electron density at titanium.The structures of titanocenes 4, 5, 9, and 11–13 in the solid state are reported. Typical for these organometallic sandwich compounds is a distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry around titanium with D1–Ti–D2 angles (D1, D2 = centroids of the cyclopentadienyl ligands) of ca. 130 °. In comparison to FcCH₂O-functionalized 4, for the aryloxy-titanocenes 5, 9, and 11–13 a significant larger Ti–O–C angle was found confirming electronic interactions between the titanium atom and the appropriate aryl group.