An efficient, general synthesis of racemic 2-substituted ferrocenecarboxaldehydes

A straightforward, high-yielding route to racemic 2-substituted ferrocenecarboxaldehydes has been developed. The synthesis involves the ortho-lithiation/electrophilic quenching of readily accessible 2-ferrocenyl-4,4-dimethyloxazoline (2c), followed by N-methylation, sodium borohydride-mediated reduction, and acidic hydrolysis.