Ferrocenes with a Persulfurated Cyclopentadienyl Ring: Synthesis, Structural Studies, and Optoelectronic Properties

Chemistry. 2019 Oct 1;25(55):12684-12688. doi: 10.1002/chem.201903033. Epub 2019 Aug 7.

Abstract

Persulfurated arenes are a fascinating class of functional molecules with a wide range of potential applications. Ferrocenes are also a multifaceted class of aromatic compounds that can easily be finetuned for an enormous variety of desired properties. A combination of both substance classes might yield an even wider field of applications. Herein, we describe the synthesis of two ferrocenes with one persulfurated cyclopentadienyl ring [C5 (SR)5 ], with R=Me or Ph, together with their crystal structures, optical, and electrochemical properties. Both crystal structures show significant intramolecular sulfur-iron interactions as well as weak intermolecular sulfur- contacts. Cyclovoltammetry of the [C5 (SPh)5 ] compound shows a high oxidation potential of 651 mV vs. FcH/FcH+ .

Keywords: X-ray diffraction; electrochemistry; metalation; metallocenes; persulfurated arenes.