The synthesis of some complexed ketones or sulfones by oxidation of η-arene-η-cyclopentadienyliron cations or η-arenedi-η-cyclopentadienyliron dications

Di-η⁵-cyclopentadienyliron complexed dications of 9,10-dihydroanthracene, xanthene, thioxanthene and diphenylmethane derived from ligand exchange reactions but without their prior isolation were oxidized with KMnO₄ to give, respectively, the dications of anthraquinone, xanthone, thioxanthone and benzophenone, isolated as their dihexafluorophosphate salts. Cyclopentadienyliron complexes of arenes containing a sulfide function were oxidized by m-chloroperbenzoic acid to the corresponding complexed sulfones, and sulfones prepared in this way include the hexafluorophosphate salt of the η⁶-p-tolysulfonylbenzene, thioxanthene-10,10-dioxide, 9,9-dimethylthioxanthene-10,10-dioxide or dibenzothiophene-9,9-dioxide-η⁵-cyclopentadienyliron cation.