The dichloromethane induced fragmentation of ferrocenylmethyldimethylamine. Mechanistic aspects and crystallographic and electrochemical investigation of the (FcCH2)2NMe2 and FcCH2NMe2H ions

Ferrocenylmethyldimethylamine, FcCH₂NMe₂, reacts with CH₂Cl₂ in either the presence or absence of non-coordinating counterions to give equimolar amounts of the bis(ferrocenylmethyl)dimethyl ammonium salts (FcCH₂)₂NMe₂⁺X⁻ (X⁻=PF₆⁻, SbF₆⁻, BPh₄⁻ or Cl⁻, 1a–d) and the corresponding protonated ammonium salts FcCH₂NMe₂H⁺ which have been isolated as the SbF₆⁻ and Cl⁻ salts 2b,d. The reaction proceeds via fragmentation of an intermediate quaternary chloromethylated ammonium ion to chloromethylferrocene, FcCH₂Cl, and dimethyliminium chloride NMe₂CH₂⁺Cl⁻. The parent amine acts as a nucleophile toward FcCH₂Cl to give 1a–d and as a base toward NMe₂CH₂⁺ to give FcCH₂NMe₂H⁺, NMe₂H and (Me₂N)₂CH₂. The FcCH₂Cl intermediate is intercepted by NEt₃ while KCN or LiH do not successfully compete with FcCH₂NMe₂. A new, non-toxic, selective, high-yield route to 1d is also presented. Electrochemistry and UV–vis spectroelectrochemistry reveal, that the two identical redox centers in 1a–d are essentially non-interacting. Individual E_1/2 values have been determined for different solvents by digital simulation. The corresponding ferrocenium salts were prepared by either chemical or electrochemical means and accordingly characterized. Our studies are augmented by X-ray structure analyses of 1b, 1d and 2d. 1d contains three different cation conformers and four molecules of water per unit cell. The latter are hydrogen bonded to the chloride counterions to form one-dimensional infinite chains parallel to the a axis.