The study of molecular motions in substituted ferrocenes by means of NMR spectroscopy

The proton magnetic resonance spectra for ferrocene derivatives have been investigated in the solid state at a frequency of 27.5 MHz and at temperatures within the range 4.2–300 K. Evidence for re-orientation in various substituent groups and cyclopentadienyl rings has been deduced on the basis of the temperature dependence of the second moment of the PMR lines. The experimentally observed decrease in the second moment has been compared with the calculated contributions of different molecular groups to the second moment thus enabling an identification of these groups. In computing the second moment, account has been taken of both intra- and intermolecular dipole-dipole interactions. It is shown that the introduction of substituents into some ferrocene rings affects the magnitude of the re-orientation energy for both the substituted and unsubstituted rings. The change of the re-orientation energy of the substituted and unsubstituted rings in substituted ferrocenes with the structure and electronic properties of the substituents is discussed.